Focus on 37 accident-prone areas

Focus on 37 accident-prone areas
Sabah deserves more funds to boost power supply – MP
Spoon-fed grads ‘choose’ to be jobless?
100 more neighbourhood areas planned for Sabah
Effort to reduce number of low-performing schools
Sabahan duo seek judicial review of Herald seizure

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 06:26 PM PST

by Elton Gomes. Posted on January 26, 2014, Sunday

KOTA KINABALU: Police will be focusing on 37 hotspots or accident-prone areas to minimise road fatalities during the implementation of Ops Selamat IV in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib said priority would be given to these hotspots during the operation with other enforcement agencies which was launched nationwide on January 24 until February 7.

"We will focus on these areas that have been identified as accident-prone areas.

"We hope with the implementation of Ops Selamat IV, we can achieve our target and exceed the performance of Ops Selamat III last year," he said, adding that Ops Selamat III in 2013 recorded a decline of 13.1 per cent in road accidents.

Hamza said this during the launch of Ops Selamat IV at Golden Plaza Putatan here yesterday.

Also present were State Deputy Commissioner of Police P/DCP Datuk Abdul Malek Hj Harun, State traffic and public order chief Superintendent Ismadi Borhan, Sabah Civil Defence Department (JPAM) Director Lt Col Mulliadi Al-Hamdi Ladin and Putatan district officer Awang Ghani Pg. Yussof.

Meanwhile, Hamza said patrol operations around residential areas would be intensified to prevent burglary during the Chinese New Year celebration.

"Police therefore advised members of the public who will 'balik kampung' to emphasize on safety and security by locking all doors and windows and to inform neighbors and the police so that enforcement personnel can patrol their areas during the holiday season," he said.

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Sabah deserves more funds to boost power supply – MP

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 06:25 PM PST

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah should be getting more funding from the Federal Government towards improving the electricity supply in the state.

Putatan Member of Parliament Datuk Dr Marcus Mojigoh in making the call pointed out that people in Sabah have been suffering because of the frequent power outages in the state.

"As an important component that helped to form the government, Sabah should be given more attention and funding to improve the basic infrastructure in the state so that the people will have better living condition.

"The government must also look into providing more funding for the construction of IPPs in Sabah so that more power can be generated for consumers," he said.

Marcus said this when met after presenting the 'Wang Bantuan Awal Persekolahan' to students of SM La Salle in Tanjung Aru here yesterday.

He was asked to comment on complaints by representatives of the school's Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) about the insufficient electricity supply to the school which has damaged some of the air conditioners there.

Marcus also expressed his unhappiness at the government for increasing the electricity tariff which he said was done without prior discussion with the consumers as well as elected representatives.

"How can the government increase the electricity tariff without consulting the people and the elected representatives? How can we defend the government if it makes decisions that way? People are annoyed with what has happened and how are we going answer the people?" he lamented.

Meanwhile on another note Marcus urged teachers to play a more personalized role and get closer to their students especially those who come from lower income or poor families.

These students may not have the full support and guidance of their parents as many are working two jobs to make ends meet, Marcus said.

"I would like to see teachers get closer to the students and give them personalized attention. Get to know each and every one of them, spend time with them, give extra tuition to those who are weak in their studies. Nurture and guide them so that they can excel in their studies so that their future will be brighter," he said.

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Spoon-fed grads ‘choose’ to be jobless?

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 06:23 PM PST

by Murib Morpi. Posted on January 26, 2014, Sunday

KOTA KINABALU: Fresh graduates are once again blamed for being too choosy and wanting only top jobs instead of grabbing what is available.

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said limited job opportunities is not a valid excuse for degree holders to sit at home and depend on their parents to continue supporting them.

The fact that there are nearly half a million documented foreign workers in Sabah shows that there are more than enough jobs in the State for those who want them, he said.

"It's a wonder why over 400,000 foreigners can find jobs in Sabah but not our graduates, and this is not even including illegal foreign workers whose number could be bigger than those documented," he said during the Sabah Institute of Art (SIA) annual dinner here, on Friday.

Masidi, who is also the Minister in charge of the State Government education portfolio, said something must be seriously wrong with the education system that it is unable to produce thinking and resilient graduates.

He said it seemed that the existing system is producing mostly robotic graduates, trained only how to get good grades but completely lost and could not fend for themselves the moment they were released into the world after university.

"Not only have we spoon-fed them too much when they were studying, we have also allowed them to be too dependent on the government and their parents to help them after they finish studying," he added.

Masidi said the government needed to have the courage to recognize and admit that there is a fault in its approach in providing education for the youth.

He stressed remedial measures must be taken urgently, suggesting that relevant authorities could among others review the effectiveness of the National Service programme.

He proposed that instead of focusing on school leavers, the programme should include fresh graduates and undergraduates, with emphasis on preparing them to become productive workers.

Meanwhile, Masidi in his speech also suggested SIA to pioneer the commercialization of contemporary "Sabah-design" batik, which he believed could be explored as a new lucrative niche market culture/fashion tourism.

"I think this is one of the potential areas that we need to enhance. If we can have Kelantan and Terengganu batik, why can't we have Sabah-design batik?

"Surely the State Government will give its full support for this initiative as it will not only increase local handicraft businesses, but can also be a major attraction for tourism.

"Sabah has rich natural resources such as the rafflesia, orchids, mountains, islands and endangered animal species that can inspire beautiful batik motifs," he said.

Earlier, SIA president and CEO, Prof Dato Dr Wilson Yong, announced that the institute has set up its own Batik Centre for designing and producing batik products, under a dedicated company S.I Art Sdn Bhd.

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100 more neighbourhood areas planned for Sabah

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 06:21 PM PST

by Murib Morpi. Posted on January 26, 2014, Sunday

KOTA KINABALU: The Department of National Unity and Integration (NUID) is planning to set up another 100 Kawasan Rukun Tetangga (neighbourhood area) or KRT in Sabah to further strengthen public involvement in maintaining peace and security in residential areas.

Minister of Community Development and Consumer Affairs, Datuk Jainab Ahmad, said KRTs play a significant and growing role not only in assisting relevant authorities curb criminal activities but also as a platform for promoting unity among the people at the grass roots level.

She said there were 597 KRTs in Sabah thus far and their strength will continue to be boosted, including in conducting Voluntary Neighbourhood Patrol or Skim Rondaan Sukarela (SRS).

Speaking at the Early Year Gathering for KRTs of Tuaran, Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Putatan and Papar Zones here yesterday, Jainab said it was hoped that all KRTs optimally utilise the RM6,000 funding allocated to them annually to conduct SRS and other community activities.

"KRT must be in tune with the government's policy against all elements that could harm society, including those that pose a threat to our unity.

"In other words, KRT must play its role as an agent of unity, apart from keeping the neighbourhood safe," she said.

She also urged KRTs to give special emphasis on attracting the participation of the youth in their activities, as a way of instiling a sense of responsibility towards the community among them.

At the event Jainab presented Special Appreciation Awards to outstanding KRT members from the five districts and launched the "10 Family 1 SRS" programme for Sabah.

Also present was NUID Sabah Director Delin Liet Blaun.

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Effort to reduce number of low-performing schools

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 06:19 PM PST

by Sandra Sokial. Posted on January 26, 2014, Sunday

KOTA KINABALU: The State Education Department is making an effort to reduce the number of low-performing schools, namely band six and seven, to 32 primary schools by year-end.

Its director Datuk Jame Alip in disclosing this also expressed confidence that their targeted Key Performance Index (KPI) for the District Transformation Programme (DTP) can be achieved through the implementation of several initiatives.

The initiatives include the Literacy and Numeracy (Linus 2.0); Garis Asas Infrastruktur (GAI); Pre-school Enrolment, the International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

However, the figure was a minimum target set by the Education Ministry, and believed that they would be able to reduce more.

"Instead, the department will increase the number of schools under band one and two by performing better in the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR), as part of efforts to narrow the gap between urban and rural schools.

"At the same time, we also hope to narrow the gap between Sabah and other states," he told reporters after officially closing a workshop to set the KPI targets for the state and district, here, yesterday.

Based on record, of the 1,064 primary schools in Sabah in 2012, a total of 35 are still under band six and seven.

"So this year, we hope to reduce the number by 1.4 per cent to 32 schools," he said.

Touching on DTP, Jame said that Sabah and Kedah, which had been picked for the pilot project, were entering their second year of implementation.

Through the programme, a total of 158 School Improvement Specialist Coaches (SISC) have been appointed to guide teachers in teaching specific subjects, while another 44 trainers from the School Improvement Partners (SIP) would be guiding the headmasters, headmistresses and principals.

Under LINUS 2.0, it would be focusing on English literacy, he said.

"We were seventh among 16 states under the Bahasa Melayu LINUS," he said.

Jame said through the GAI, its priority is to repair dilapidated schools.

"Infrastructure development will be given to schools which are in need of critical repairs, be it on the building, electricity and water supplies, or tables and chairs.

"Under TIMSS and PISA, Sabah's initiative is through the Higher Order Thinking Skills (KBAT).

For preschool enrolment, the State Education Department has set a target of 90 per cent of children aged four and five would be enrolling in kindergartens or preschools.

The enrolment performance saw an increase of 13 per cent last year to 75 per cent, compared to 2012's 62 per cent.

As of Jan 25, a total of 10, 807 children have been enrolled in kindergartens statewide.

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Sabahan duo seek judicial review of Herald seizure

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 06:18 PM PST

KOTA KINABALU: Two church-going Sabahans, both Roman Catholics, filed an ex-parte application for leave at the High Court here on Friday, to file a judicial review to obtain an order of certiorari (squash) against the decision of a Malaysian Government agency/agencies to seize 2,000 copies of the Herald, a church weekly, on Oct 26 last year at Kota Kinabalu International Airport.

The application was filed under Order 53 Rule 3(2) of the Rules of the High Court 2012 by activist Daniel John Jambun, one of the applicants, acting in person.

The application cited Article 11(1) of the Federal Constitution; a Media Statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak on 21 Oct, 2013; and a 10-Point Policy Document of the Federal Cabinet adopted in Feb 2011 on the use of the term "Allah" in Malay print to refer to the Christian faith.

The duo, including lawyer Marcel Jude Joseph, said in their respective affidavits in support and statements that the seizure affected their rights as Herald readers to have access to the weekly which they regularly purchased on Sunday at their respective churches.

Daniel attends mass at St Catherine's Church in Inanam, Marcel at either the Sacred Heart Cathedral or the Church of Mary Immaculate in Luyang.

Besides the order of certiorari, the duo are seeking a declaration that the order of the respondent was unconstitutional and in breach of Article 11(1) of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, the 10-Point Policy Document of the Federal Cabinet of February 2011, and public assurance on freedom of worship given by the Prime Minister in Kota Kinabalu on 21 Oct, last year, damages for interference with the applicants' right of freedom to worship pursuant to Article 11(1) of the Federal Constitution, costs, and any other relief deemed fit by the Court.

On the sidelines of the filing, Daniel said that he and Marcel were prepared to take the fight for Herald all the way to the Federal Court.

"We will not buy the argument of the Umno Government that Muslims will be confused if Christians too use the word 'Allah' in Malay print," said Daniel.

"We (Christians) hear the 'azan' five times a day and we are not confused. We don't switch from Christianity to Islam. It will be confusing if we are denied of our rights"

Daniel disclosed the policy declaration, taken in preparation for the judicial review application, as follows:

(1) The Court of Appeal was wrong to overturn the High Court ruling against the Home Minister on the Herald using Allah in Malay print to refer to the Christian faith;

(2) The Court of Appeal was wrong not to allow the High Court ruling considering the merits of the Home Minister's decision;

(3) The Court of Appeal was wrong not to consider the merits of the Home Minister's decision;

(4) The Court of Appeal was wrong to confine its decision to whether the Home Minister followed administrative procedures in arriving at its decision; and, in a preemptive move, BOPIM held that

(5) The Federal Court would be wrong to say that it "sees no reason to disturb the ruling of the Court of Appeal" on the grounds that "the Herald did not prove/could not prove that the Home Minister did not follow administrative procedures in arriving at his decision.

Where there are rights, pointed out Daniel, there must be remedies.

Marcel Jude was not immediately available for comment. His affidavit and statement to support the ex-parte leave application was filed by Daniel.

The BOPIM chief said that Marcel would probably represent himself in Court while he would either be represented by Marcel or another lawyer.

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