Author: malaysiang

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 — Nur Basirah Abd Rahim, 18, is one of many students who felt fortunate to be able to pursue further studies at the prestigious Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM).

The Diploma in Logistics Management student said that prior to that she struggled with her studies ahead of the 2020 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.

Nur Basirah said she set high hopes on excelling in the exam as she is the only child and her rubber-tapper father and housewife mother struggled to provide for the family, who lives in Jeli, Kelantan.

“I had failed one subject and only managed to get only 1A in the SPM trials, but in the final exam, I somehow managed to score 8As – thanks to empower ECER Academic Training Programme run by the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC).

“This programme has instilled motivation in me through continuous learning classes even during the challenging COVID-19 pandemic that has forced school closure for some time,” said Nur Basirah in a statement issued by ECERDC.

The empower ECER Academic Training programme is a unique programme as it is a holistic development programme involving not only experienced tutors but also involvement from parents and guardians of the participants.

“It is ECERDC’s intent to provide both the soft skills and academic competencies to ensure every student who undergoes the programme has both the opportunity for growth and the support to ensure their progress,” said ECERDC chief executive officer Baidzawi Che Mat.

For SPM students, the programme provides free tuition classes and guidance to ensure all students pass their examinations.

This is evident as over 4,900 students out of a total of 5,600 SPM students who participated in that programme have succeeded in enrolling in universities or furthering their studies in technical and vocational institutions, including 121 from the Orang Asli community, while another 695 students are still awaiting the progress of their applications.

Among the universities that collaborate with ECERDC as service providers for the programme are Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UiTM), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) and Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK).

Another service provider for the programme is Pertubuhan Kemajuan Sosial Malaysia (PKSM).

“Some 1,651 students under UniSZA, 1,047 students under UMK, 773 students under UiTM, 565 students under PKSM, 515 students under UMP and 354 students under UMT were successfully placed in various higher learning institutions.

“They were offered to pursue studies in various courses and education levels such as foundation, matriculation, pre-diploma and diploma,” said ECERDC Human Capital Development Division general manager Zulkifli Yaacob.

He added the unique approach adopted by ECERDC in this programme is to engage all participants and their parents to ensure no students drop out post-SPM but enrol themselves in some capability development programmes for their future.

ECERDC was established to spearhead the execution and implementation of the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) Master Plan, where it plays a lead role in setting the directions, policies and strategies for the socio-economic development of ECER.

ECER covers the states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and the district of Mersing in Johor, and it is now rapidly growing as a dynamic and competitive destination for investments.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

SEREMBAN, Dec 1 — The Negeri Sembilan State Assembly (DUN) today unanimously approved the state’s 2022 Budget to enable continuation of the state administration and economic recovery agenda.

The Negeri Sembilan Supply (2022) 2021 Bill (RUU) which has allocated a total of RM520 million was debated for four days starting Nov 26 involving 36 backbenchers and opposition assemblymen.

The 2022 Budget themed ‘Empowering the People’s Economy’ is a deficit budget of RM88 million following an allocation of RM520 million, exceeding the estimated revenue of RM432 million for the coming year.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun during the winding-up session said the budget was drafted comprehensively and inclusively and focused on the post-COVID-19 economic recovery agenda with full focus on initiatives that could boost the state’s economy.

“It is also based on two determinations, namely reducing the people’s spending burden and increasing the family’s income-generating ability,” he said.

Meanwhile, Aminuddin said this year, the state government had channelled RM400,000 through 16 State Assembly coordinators for opposition parties to improve the welfare of the people regardless of political differences.

According to him, the allocation can ensure that the people in the state understand the policies and agenda of the state government which practises equal assistance, including student scholarships in the state and COVID-19 assistance.

“We had provided an allocation of RM100,000 to each opposition assemblymen in the 2019 Budget and RM1.3 million was spent from the RM1.6 million provisioned. However, opposition assemblymen have rejected the allocation (for them) for next year,” he said.

Therefore, he said the state government was ready to review the proposal to provide equal allocation to all assemblymen in the state depending on the financial capacity of the state government as it is expected to continue to face a deficit next year.

The Negeri Sembilan government last year also approved a deficit budget of RM112 million themed ‘Stimulating the Economy and Empowering the People’ with a total expenditure of RM560 million.

The sitting continues tomorrow.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 — The Prime Minister today congratulated Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (Angkasa) president Datuk Dr Abdul Fattah Abdullah on being elected as International Cooperative Alliance Asia Pacific (ICA-AP) vice-president for the term 2022- 2026.

Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob through a post on his Facebook page said the election showed the confidence and trust of the international cooperative leaders in the leadership and wisdom of the cooperative movement in Malaysia which is seen as progressive, systematic and viable.

“Congratulations! Malaysia created history when it won the ICA-AP vice-president seat at the 15th ICA-AP regional assembly which was organised in a hybrid manner in Seoul, South Korea ” read the post.

Abdul Fattah who is also ASEAN Co-operative Organisation (ACO) president is the second person from Malaysia to be elected as ICA-AP vice-president after the late Royal Professor Ungku Abdul Aziz Ungku Abdul Hamid.

A statement from Angkasa said that the election was conducted through Electronic Voting System (EVS) and earlier Abdul Fattah was also re-elected as a member of the ICA-AP board for a period of four years.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 — McDonald’s Malaysia (McDonald’s) today announced the return of the Malaysian favourite, Prosperity Burger, to their menu in time for the new year celebration.

This year, McDonald’s is bringing the theme of “Prosperity, No Matter What”, to encourage Malaysians to come together with their loved ones and create precious moments over the much-beloved meal.

Its vice-president and chief marketing officer, Melati Abdul Hai, said that McDonald’s is always excited with the return of Prosperity Burger, which marks its 28th year this year, since it was first introduced in 1994, every year-end and at the beginning of the new year.

“For many, prosperity is a beacon of hope, as we slowly return to normalcy and prepare to welcome the new year; this is the best time for customers to indulge in a feel-good moment with loved ones over our delicious Prosperity Burger, which has continued to be a crowd favourite,” she said in a statement today.

The Prosperity Burger, steeped in a strong tradition, has been a staple and a constant in Malaysians’ lives since its introduction in 1994.

It is a favourite among locals who have long enjoyed its signature peppery taste with the selection of chicken or beef patties topped with fresh onions, all between a classic sesame seed bun.

Not only enjoyed by Malaysians every year, but the seasonal favourite also has a strong fan base in Taiwan, Korea and Hong Kong.

To add more excitement to the return of Prosperity Burger this year, McDonald’s is organising the Scan & Win Gifts of Prosperity Contest, from Dec 2 to Jan 5, 2022.

With every purchase of the Prosperity Burger, priced from RM14.99 per set, customers are able to participate in the contest by scanning the QR code on the Prosperity Burger wrapper and be eligible to win something.

For grand prizes, customers need to buy more Prosperity Burgers to stand a higher chance of winning attractive prizes – one Proton X-70 SUV; three Samsung 55” TV sets, three Samsung S21+; five Dyson Purifiers; five Samsung Galaxy Tab S7; five Garmin Venu S2 Watches and five Bose Soundlink Micro Bluetooth Speakers.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 — Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has launched a psychological warfare to control the smoking habit among the federal capital’s residents through the ‘Kuala Lumpur Free From Cigarette Smoke’ (KLBAR) campaign.

Kuala Lumpur mayor, Datuk Mahadi Che Ngah said the campaign initiatives included video screenings in the LRT and MRT coaches and putting up ‘no smoking’ billboards at public places in the city.

“The smoking habit can not only affect one’s own health but that of others too, as well as become an environmental issue when the cigarette butts are thrown everywhere, which can result in clogged drains.

“Hence, this campaign is to create awareness among smokers before enforcement is carried out, whereby the offenders can be issued with a compound of RM10,000 and even face a jail term of up to two years if caught smoking at a public place that has been designated as a ‘no smoking’ area,” he added.

Mahadi said the campaign was the result of engagement sessions between the KLBAR committee and various parties such as Prasarana, Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department, schools, traders and departments in DBKL.

“We (DBKL) uphold the ‘city for all’ concept, so the engagement with various parties is one of our new ways of working which include disseminating information before implementing something for the public to know about it beforehand so as, to be fair to them,” he said.

Previously, DBKL had gazetted all the public walkways, covered overhead bridges and pedestrian underground tunnels in the federal capital as ‘no smoking’ areas.

The gazettement was made under the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004 aimed at protecting the public from cigarette smoke which can endanger health.

Today’s launching ceremony also saw the presentation of prizes to the winners of the KLBAR virtual run held from April to September 2021 to promote the campaign to the public.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency