Night of tributes for crew of MH370

Night of tributes for crew of MH370

Night of tributes for crew of MH370

Posted: 07 Jun 2014 09:01 AM PDT

08 June 2014| last updated at 01:42AM
By TASNIM LOKMAN AND ALIZA SHAH | news@nst.com.my

PETALING JAYA: AFTER three months of keeping their sorrow behind closed doors, loved ones of the crew on board missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 shared their grief and sadness in an emotion-filled night yesterday.

Ballads such as When You Believe, made famous by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, were played throughout the night, befitting the mood and feelings of those who attended the "Tribute to the Crew of MH370" event organised by the National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia (NUFAM).

With tears streaming down her cheeks, flight supervisor Patrick Francis Gomez's daughter, Nicolette, shared a poem written by Dr Timothy Sng, titled "Two Poems for MH370", dedicated to the families of passengers and crew on board MH370.

Representing the families of the flight crew, her mother, Jacquita Gonzales, urged the authorities to examine all facts behind the tragedy.

"If this tragedy prompts reflections and debates, as it should, let's make sure it's worthy of those we have lost on board MH370."

She also questioned why flight MH370 had to be involved in the tragedy considering it had a flight full of senior staff and a five star crew.

"It has been 92 days and they have not come home yet. This is the longest flight they have ever gone for."

The MAS flight went missing on March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, and has yet to be found despite a multi-nation search mission.

It is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.

Zainab Mohd Ariffin, mother of flight attendant Mohamad Hazrin Mohamed Hasnan, said she would never stop praying her son's safe return home.

"As long as no debris or physical evidence of flight MH370 have been found, my family and I, and I believe everyone around the world, will continue praying for them to be found and return home safely.

"Everyday I pray to Allah, to give us a sign and enlighten us about our loved ones," she said adding that she had to stay strong for her daughter-in-law Intan Maizura Othman, granddaughter Iman and newborn grandson, Muhammad.

Lee Khim Fatt read a poem for his wife Foong Wai Hung, saying that he has been calling her mobile phone daily hoping for an answer to end this nightmare.

NUFAM president Ismail Nasaruddin said the event was organised to assist family members morally and financially.

"We are here to show our support to the next of kin of the MH370 crew members, and we want them to know that we will always be there for them."

Some RM60,000 was raised during the dinner last night, RM20,000 of which was donated by Empire Hotel.

Wanita Umno head and National Welfare Foundation chairman Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil donated RM10,000.

Norazlinda Ayub, wife of flight attendant Junaidi Mohd Kassim who was on board MH370, with her son and daughter at the 'Tribute to the Crew of MH370' event in Subang yesterday. Pic by Aizuddin Saad

Intan Maizura Othman, wife of flight attendant Hazrin Hasnan, holding her son Muhammad at an event in Subang yesterday. Pic by Aizuddin Saad

Malaysian raped in Jaipur

Posted: 07 Jun 2014 09:00 AM PDT

08 June 2014| last updated at 01:40AM

"We have arrested (the man) on charges of raping a Malaysian woman. (He) is a resident of Bhilwara," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Jaipur East) Amandeep Singh said.
 
According to the woman, both of them had dinner in a five-star hotel on Thursday night.

He then drove her to an isolated place and allegedly raped her in the car, after offering her a drink laced with drugs. He left her in front of the hotel where she was staying.

The woman managed to reach a police car near the Jawahar Circle area in the city and lodged a complaint.

The man was arrested within three hours. Bernama

‘Op Bbklcc will go on despite rally’

Posted: 07 Jun 2014 09:00 AM PDT

08 June 2014| last updated at 01:36AM
By THARANYA ARUMUGAM | tharanya@nst.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: ROAD Transport Department (RTD) director-general Datuk Seri Ismail Ahmad said enforcement officers will   go all out to nab errant taxi drivers despite a protest planned by cabbies here  tomorrow. This is to ensure the numerous complaints from the public are addressed.

  He said the department received many complaints, especially on cabbies at the city centre.

  "These taxi drivers refuse to use the meter and charge a flat rate, way beyond the actual fare.

  "It is also difficult to get a cab to nearby destinations  because of the low fare."

  Ismail said stern action, including withdrawal of the public service vehicle licence (PSV), would be taken.

  RTD enforcement director Jaafar Mohamed said the authorities were open to discussion and matters should not be brought to the streets.

  "We try to protect the public's interest first. I believe the decision to protest is not an association's decision, but of certain irresponsible groups.

  "Those with problems can approach us anytime to have  discussions and resolve the matter with an open mind."

  Meanwhile, Bistari Taxi Association chairman Mohamed Asharaf Yasin said they would only stage a protest if the authorities declined to have a discussion with the taxi drivers.

  "We had sent a memorandum to SPAD (Land Public  Transport Commission)   but they ignored our request. That was why we protested on Wednesday.

  "We were told to wait for a week for an opportunity to discuss,  but all of a sudden, we heard that an operation (Op Bbklcc) would be carried out tomorrow and on Tuesday."

 Asharaf said the prices of goods had increased over the years but the taxi meter fare remained the same.

He said with the GO-KL free bus service and cheap LRT fares, taxi drivers' income were affected.

  "How can we earn a living by using the meter? An hour journey from Bukit Bintang to Mid Valley Megamall costs only RM15."

  Malaysia Taxi Owners and Drivers Association, however, agreed  action should be taken against cabbies who break regulations.

  "A compound can be given for the first offence,  a compound followed by a warning on a second charge, and on a third, the taxi driver's PSV can be withdrawn."

How to survive World Cup season

Posted: 07 Jun 2014 09:00 AM PDT

08 June 2014| last updated at 01:26AM

1. JONATHAN NATHAN, 30, who supports Brazil, said work should still be a priority, but time for good matches, especially the important ones, should be scheduled. For him, must-haves while watching matches are great company and food.

"Watching matches together with friends tops the list. It is even better if they are fans of the opposing team. Next on the list are burgers, fries and loads of coffee. I always stock up the fridge with homemade burger patties. I have a late and heavy lunch so I can skip dinner and get some sleep before the match. Eating less during dinner will allow me to eat when I am watching my match. I also wake up an hour earlier before the match to prepare food".

To ensure there are no disruptions during that period, Nathan ensures all his bills are paid.

"I also prepare the clothes I need for work the next morning, because I won't have time to think after the long hours in front of the television and lack of sleep."

2. DOMINIC TAN, 47, does not support any single team, because, to him, the World Cup showcases the best teams from around the world.
"I think the Belgian team is interesting. In addition to the other usual favourites like Brazil and Germany, Asian teams like Japan and South Korea, and African teams like Nigeria and Ghana are also ones

He said compared to when he was younger, getting enough sleep took priority over watching every single match live
these days.

"When I reach home after work, I have to sleep immediately so that I can watch the live telecasts in the early hours of the morning. And, I drink lots of coffee to stay awake to watch matches."

3. ANDREW MANASSEE, 46, has been a supporter of Argentina since Diego Maradona played for them. He always makes sure to get the latest Argentina jersey for every World Cup. He said if you were not lucky enough to have a boss who is also a football fan, then try to negotiate a flexi-hour work schedule during the run of the tournament.

"Otherwise, use your annual leave days to get days off to watch your favourite matches. Don't sacrifice sleep just to watch all the live telecast matches.

"Pick and choose what you watch. Getting enough sleep is also important. If you have trouble staying awake during matches, drink lots of coffee and snack on sunflower seeds.

"These activities require concentration and will keep you awake."

4. ALLEN JOLLY, 46, is an ardent supporter of both Germany and England. He supports Germany because of its structure and accuracy in getting the job done, and England because it is the perpetual underdogs.
"Over the years, I have grown to respect how the Germans play the game. As for England, they never seem to play as well as they do in the English Premier League, although they have good players.  I also watch matches played by the South American teams like Brazil and  Argentina.

Jolly finds it fun to watch the matches with his family, and would always make sure his favourite mee goreng and nasi goreng from the mamak stall are available.

"I make sure I don't neglect sleep, diet or health. I believe in investing in vitamins, which will help get me through these 30-days of football."

Tackling World Cup fever

Posted: 07 Jun 2014 09:00 AM PDT

WHILE fans here are waiting with bated breath for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil to kick off on June 12, Malaysian employers may be getting hot under the collar anticipating the negative impact on employee productivity during the period.

Recently, Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan said as in previous World Cup tournaments, employee productivity was most likely to suffer during the coming competition because of absenteeism and late coming.

The World Cup will see an entire month of football, with fans offered a  total of 64 matches to catch. MEF has suggested that employers organise after-work World Cup viewing parties for their staff to catch delayed telecasts of matches so they need not stay up till the early hours of the morning to watch live telecasts from Brazil.

Although the MEF does not have statistics on the negative impact that this year's World Cup will have on employee productivity, Shamsuddin said it would most likely be similar to the findings of an earlier MEF online survey conducted in May 2010.

The survey asked whether companies/employers anticipated absenteeism and productivity loss during the World Cup that year, which was held in South Africa. Around 61 per cent of respondents anticipated a negative impact.

According to the survey, about 23.5 per cent of respondents expected more cases of sick leave, while 22.5 per cent anticipatedproblems with timekeeping. A decrease in work productivity was anticipated by 13.7 per cent of the respondents, while 17.6 per cent were concerned with the increase in absenteeism.

The forecast average decrease of productivity during the 2010 World Cup was 15.56 per cent. Forecast average increase of incidents of sick leave was 14.2 per cent. Forecast average increase in bad timekeeping was 13.92 per cent, while absenteeism was forecast to have an average increase of 13.10 per cent. About 88.2 per cent of respondents forecasted that male employees were expected to contribute to man-hours lost compared with female employees.

Preferring to remain anonymous, a doctor in a private practice in the Klang Valley confirmed that from his experience during the  2006 and 2010 World Cup Tournaments, mostly male patients would show up to claim medical certificates (MC) for a host of ailments, ranging from lack of sleep to migraine.

"Some even fake an illness which is difficult for doctors to disprove, like vomiting and diarrhoea."

He said in his years of practice, he could track an increase in the number of  people coming in to get MC's after matches of other major tournaments, such as the English Premier League.

Many major companies. however, disagree that football season, especially the World Cup, takes a toll on work productivity.

Henrik Juel Andersen, managing director of Carlsberg Malaysia, said the company had not observed any major trends affecting its employees' productivity during previous World Cups seasons.

"I do not expect either productivity or attendance to be significantly impacted by the upcoming World Cup, especially in light of the many programmes we have in place to boost employee engagement and dedication.

"Each year, whether it be the Barclays Premier League or even the World Cup, we have grown accustomed to dealing with these situations. We place great trust on the professionalism of our employees, who are fully cognisant of the need to be efficient regardless of the impact such events may have."

He said with the flexible working hours at Carlsberg Malaysia, employees could even choose to catch World Cup matches at its visitors' lounge.

Mark Lankester, group chief executive officer of Tune Hotels, also said the company practised  a flexible working environment,  which allowed employees to pursue their hobbies and interests while maintaining a high-quality, result-driven work culture.

"All staff members are fully aware of their core responsibilities and key deliverables, and they need little or no reminding on this. Adjustments to working schedules and rosters can be considered as long as the business and our guests are not affected."

Neither does Suria KLCC see an impact on office productivity. Fartini Zaharuddin, public relations and communications manager of Suria KLCC Sdn Bhd,  said it had never experienced issues relating to employee productivity during the World Cup season.

Tune Talk CEO Jason Lo disagreed with the MEF proposal of having World Cup viewing parties for staff to address attendance and productivity issues.

He said there was no doubt that productivity worldwide would be affected by the World Cup, but companies should not micro-manage staff when it comes to after-work activities.

"I believe we should not treat employees like children and give them the respect to manage their own time. The amount of slack given will be managed by heads of department and upwards, and if an employee allows a late-night football match to seriously affect their productivity to a significant level, then I don't believe they are serious about their job.

"People are responsible for their own actions and I think it's a given that repeats will be on anyway.

Let's also not forget about the wives and children who will be affected if we over-encourage after-work activities, as there are many matches in the World Cup."

 

'Logging caused floods'

Posted: 07 Jun 2014 09:00 AM PDT

08 June 2014| last updated at 01:39AM

  Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) said the floods, which resulted in the evacuation of nearly 400 people, were largely caused by siltation from  clearing activities.
   
  SAM field officer Meor Razak said logging activities  should not have been allowed at the forest reserve because of its highly-sensitive hills, steep slopes and weak forest floor.  

  "The reason the floods happened was because of the large quantity of earth which flowed into the Dipang river."

  While the state government's instruction to the Drainage and Irrigation Department to investigate the cause of the floods was laudable, Meor said it  should also instruct the Forestry Department to carry out a study on logging activities.

Meor said the state government should also study the impact of logging at the Bukit Kinta forest reserve as it could have contributed to flooding in Kampung Sahom upstream.
 
  During his visit to the evacuation centre on June 5, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the authorities concerned had been asked to determine whether the floods were caused by the shallow Kampar and Dipang rivers, or the heavy rain.

Floods hit several villages in Kampar on Thursday, namely Kampung Baru Kuala Dipang, Kampung Batu 20, Kampung Nyior, Kampung Kuala Dipang, Kampung Chabang 2, Kampung Pasir and Kampung Malaya.

A house affected by the flood in Kampung Baru Kuala Dipang, Kampar, Perak. Pic by Asrizal Aris