Day: November 27, 2021

KOTA BELUD, Nov 27 — The Sabah and federal governments have allocated nearly RM25 million to implement development and basic amenities projects in Kota Belud this year, said Chief Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor.

He said under the State Budget 2021, a total of RM17.07 million was allocated to the district office as part of plans to ensure the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) objectives could be achieved while the federal government channelled a further RM7.9 million to the district office.

“The government will continue to implement various development programmes for the benefit of the people in the district,” he said in his speech at the opening of the Tamu Besar at Dewan Tun Said here today.

His speech was read out by Usukan assemblyman Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak.

Kota Belud, located about 70 km from Kota Kinabalu, is a favourite tourist destination, boasting among others the Tamu Besar, an annual event where locals convene to sell an array of local produce and everyday goods.

Hajiji said the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) state government also gave a special allocation of RM6.5 million this year for upgrading works at the flood-prone Lebak Moyoh roundabout area.

“The upgrading works are 64 per cent completed. I am sure once completed, road users travelling along the route will be more comfortable,” he said.

He said the government had also approved the construction of the Pan Borneo Highway spanning 32.2 km across the district from Pituru to Rampayan.

The government had also repaired and constructed 23 of the 47 dilapidated schools in Kota Belud, he said.

“The government is also concerned with the plight of local tourism entrepreneurs who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KLANG, Nov 27 — Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah today conferred awards, honours and medals on 57 recipients at an investiture ceremony held in conjunction with his 75th birthday celebration at Istana Alam Shah here.

Tengku Permaisuri Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin, Raja Muda of Selangor Tengku Amir Shah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah and Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari were also present at the first day of the ceremony.

Heading the list of recipients was Selangor Royal Council member Raja Tan Sri Arshad Raja Tun Uda who was conferred the Darjah Kerabat Kedua (DK II) award.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and Army Chief Tan Sri Zamrose Mohd Zain were the two recipients of the Darjah Kebesaran Seri Paduka Mahkota Selangor (SPMS), which carries the title ‘Datuk Seri’.

The Datuk Setia-Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (SSIS) award, which carries the title ‘Datuk Setia’ was conferred on former Education director-general Datuk Dr Habibah Abdul Rahim and Malaysian Syariah Judiciary Department director-general and Syariah chief judge Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar.

On Dec 10, 2020 Sultan Sharafuddin in a statement via the official Facebook of Istana Selangor @Selangor Royal Office said, he had decided not to hold any ceremony in conjunction with his birthday celebration and the investiture ceremony would be on a date to be set depending on the current COVID-19 situation.

In conjunction with the Ruler’s 75th birthday celebration on Dec 11 last year, Sultan Sharafuddin had conferred the Darjah Kerabat Yang Amat Dihormati (DK) on Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah who led the list of 180 recipients of state honours.

The award for Al-Sultan Abdullah was presented at a ceremony held at Istana Negara on April 8.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

IPOH, Nov 27 — The number of flood evacuees in the Hilir Perak district dropped slightly as at 8am today, to 57 individuals from 18 families, compared to 61 individuals from 19 families yesterday.

A spokesman for the state Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) in a statement today said, all the evacuees are seeking shelter at the Teluk Intan Town Council (MPTI) relief centre.

The relief centre had opened on Wednesday at 3pm to house victims from Kampung Sungai Rambai, Kunci Air 12 Headwork, Kampung Tanjong Keramat, Sungai Kucing and Sungai Seluang.

“The Chikus Multipurpose Hall relief centre is temporarily closed and is on standby should there be a recurrence of flash floods,” the statement read.

The relief centre was opened on the same day to accommodate villagers from Kampung Belt, Kampung Kunci Air 12, Parit 4, 5, 6 and 7 in Chikus.

The flash floods occurred after Sungai Batang Padang overflowed and submerged low-lying areas in 0.3 metre of water.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA TERENGGANU, Nov 27 — The COVID-19 pandemic has not only affected small businesses but big family businesses as well.

One such big business is Bekang Tok Minoh which has been in existence for more than 80 years. It had to be shuttered nearly two years ago due when the Movement Control Order (MCO) was implemented by the government to contain spread of the virus.

Bekang Tok Minoh entrepreneur, Noryati Alias said, however, she is grateful that at the time of her company’s troubles, the government was concerned and came out with various ways, including through the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP), to help revive businesses.

One of the ways was through the Buy Malaysian Products Campaign (KBBM) that helped reintroduce her “bekang kueh” products to buyers after not being in operation for a long time.

“I do not have my own kiosk (to sell) but place the kueh (cakes) in local supermarkets and shops in Kuala Terengganu only. So through the KBBM many carnivals were held in well-known supermarkets and this gave opportunities to entrepreneurs like me to introduce our products to new clientele.

“When I participate in a sales carnival like the KBBM, it is not just to make sales profit. The profit is just sufficient to settle the wages of the workers who run the stall at the carnival. My main purpose of participation (in the carnival) is to expand the network of new customers.

“The kueh is sold at cheap prices and I also give out bekang kueh and other cakes for free to visitors at the carnival in the hope that, if they like them, they will come back to buy them,” she told Bernama.

When Noryati participated in the KBBM held from Sept 24-27, 2020 at the Kuala Terengganu City Centre Mall (KTCC) here, she realised that many people including the youth are fans of the traditional Terengganu kueh.

Giving a bit of history about her company, Noryati said she took over the family bekang kueh business in 2015 from her late grandmother Minoh Salleh who was the founder.

She then went on to develop the ‘Bekang Tok Minoh’ brand by marketing it in a chain of grocery stores and supermarkets as well as producing various traditional food products such as chicken rendang, ketupat palas and rendang paste.

“To ensure that fans of traditional food can enjoy “Bekang Tok Minoh” homemade cakes at any time, I also produce frozen products so customers only need to steam or reheat them in the microwave,” said Noryati, who hopes to develop her own franchise one day.

Meanwhile, Terengganu KPDNHEP director Saharuddin Mohd Kia said the KBBM which is held with the Mega Sales Programme (PJM) is a government initiative to revive businesses, especially small and medium enterprises affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

He said besides organising the KBBM and PJM, from Sept 24-27, 2020, the government also organised the Terengganu state-level Franchise Bay Tour from April 8-10 this year and the Terengganu state-level Malaysian Family Taste Programme from Nov 11-14 at the KTCC.

He also said the Terengganu-level KBBM and PJM held in 2020 had recorded sales of RM1.45 million involving 40 entrepreneurs and one exhibitor, while the Terengganu-level Malaysian Family Taste Programme this year achieved sales of RM29,106, involving 16 entrepreneurs.

“The ministry always works with the Terengganu government through the Entrepreneur Development Foundation to hold programmes such as the KBBM. This shows that we always give entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase their products through these programmes free of charge. We also want to re-encourage domestic businesses affected by COVID-19,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 27 — The Wanita Bangkit Berniaga (WBB) programme, introduced by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry in collaboration with RichWorks International Sdn Bhd, has attracted almost 40,000 entries compared to the initial target of 2,000 participants.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun said that, under the initiative, participants are not only taught business techniques but also benefit from knowledge sharing by successful entrepreneurs that could be applied in their daily lives.

She added that these participants, who not only explored income opportunities through business, would also be able to assist other women who faced challenges and pressures in life.

“When I was given the Women, Family and Community Development Minister portfolio, I went to the ground, I saw many women who were badly affected, (in fact) some had lost the will to continue living.

“We do not want the many women who participate in the WBB to only do business, but to support one another so that they do not feel like they are all alone,” she said on the WBB Programme held virtually today.

Rina said the idea to create the WBB programme came about after witnessing the hardship faced by her mother, who diligently continued with her business and raised six children following her separation from their father.

She added that her mother, Taiyibah Rusli, earned a living working as a cook in a shop selling chicken satay.

“I am glad that my mother had a strong spirit and was determined. If she had given up then, I doubt I would be here today. I learned about rising to face challenges from my mother,” she said.

In the meantime, Rina said the WBB initiative was a part of the Wanita Bangkit programme that focused not only on business but also involved women seeking job opportunities and rising to the occasion from the emotional aspect.

Rina said the WBB initiative was created to help, specifically, women affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to generate income by doing business.

“With more than 30 millionaire entrepreneurs sharing their success stories in this programme, it will surely inspire the participants because before they became successful, they too were single mothers or housewives saddled with debts and limited finances,” she said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency