Category: General

SHAH ALAM, Dec 13 — A total of 66,160 asnaf (tithe-recipient) students in Selangor will be receiving assistance in the form of school fees and necessities from the Selangor Tithe Board (LZS).

LZS Asnaf Distribution Operations Division chief Mohd Sabirin Mohd Sarbini said under its Educational Aid Programme for the 2022 school session, LZS has allocated RM 32.6 million to help asnaf families in preparing school necessities for their children either at the pre-school, primary or secondary school level.

“Each child attending a primary school will receive school necessities worth RM170 and those attending religious primary school, RM150 each. Those eligible will also receive school fee assistance of between RM100 and RM200 each,” he said at the presentation of the aid to 100 recipients from Bangi by Selangor Mufti Datuk Dr Anhar Opir here.

Mohd Sabirin said students of secondary school will receive RM200 each.

He said the distribution period of the school aid and necessities is from today until Feb 28, 2022.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

CYBERJAYA, Dec 13 — The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) announced today the six Green Computing Awards 2021 (GCA 2021) winners which collectively saved the government RM4.1 million in energy costs and reduced its carbon footprint by 6,751 tonnes per year.

The Public Works Department (JKR) received the Best Electrical System award, the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) won the Best Environmental Regulation award, the Department of Survey and Mapping (JUPEM) won the Best Monitoring and Reporting award and the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) won the Best Scalability and Durability award.

The Best Management and Industrial Advocacy awards were won by the National Registration Department (JPN), while the Public Service Department (JPA) won the Best Systems Engineering and Best of the Best awards.

The first-time awards initiated with the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) and to be held yearly is aimed at recognising government agencies that are committed to green computing.

“Green computing can cut energy costs by up to 60 per cent and reduce our carbon footprint,” said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba, in a speech at the GCA 2021 ceremony today.

Green computing is the development and use of equipment and systems that have low environmental impact and cause fewer adverse effects to humans.

Dr Adham said the winners were evaluated based on their biyearly audit report and by a jury composed of professionals and academics from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.

He said new categories and the private sector will be included in the GCA next year.

Prior to the ceremony, Dr Adham launched green data centre, Edgibility Cyberjaya 1 (ECJ1), which is located at the MIGHT building and features a technique in cooling down servers by immersing them in a coolant to lower their temperature and reduce energy use.

“ECJ1 is the only data centre with titanium certification for low carbon computing in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 13 — Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) today handed over the RM18.3 million Tanjung Labian Water Treatment Plant Lahad Datu project to the Sabah government in an effort to help people in the area.

The water treatment plant, under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme of Felda, was handed over by Felda Corporate Service deputy director Mahadzir Mustaffa to State Water director Edward Likapo, witnessed by Chief Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor in an event at Menara Kinabalu here today.

According to a statement on the event, the plant with a capacity of four million litres per day would benefit about 800 families in six villages in Lahad Datu namely Kampung Tanjung Labian, Kampung Tanjung Batu, Kampung Tinagian, Kampung Lok Buani, Kampung Lok Sambuang and Kampung Bahagia.

At the same ceremony, Hajiji also witnessed the presentation of a project letter from Works Ministry deputy secretary-general Datuk Wan Ahmad Uzir Wan Sulaiman to Sabah Works Ministry permanent secretary Datuk Mohd Jasmin Julpin to upgrade Jalan Berungis in Tuaran.

The upgrade work costing RM15 million along a 4.09 km stretch from the Berungis roundabout to the Marabahai Spur junction is expected to begin next year and would be completed within 36 months.

The project upgrade is to address daily congestion on the road connecting the state capital with northern districts under the Second Rolling Plan of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) and it was also at the request of the Chief Minister as the road is located in his Sulaman state constituency.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 13 — A total of RM6.25 million has been allocated to implement the ‘MyKasih Kapital’ programme next year to empower women entrepreneurs affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun said that the programme, implemented by the National Welfare Foundation (YKN), focused on income-generating activities where women are connected to business opportunities such as becoming agents or dropshippers.

“Under the programme, women entrepreneurs are trained and encouraged to generate income from home.

“Incentives will be given in the form of basic business capital assistance and coaching programmes to promote online business,” she told reporters after presenting MyKasih Kapital grants to 250 women entrepreneurs here today.

According to Rina, the main objective of the programme was to empower the economy of women affected by the pandemic through business capital aid, thus helping to improve the living standards of those in need of financial assistance.

“The fund injection would depend on the type of the business, offering a minimum of RM500 to a maximum of RM1,000,” she added.

Rina said so far, 5,000 women entrepreneurs nationwide have participated in the programme, and many had succeeded in improving their economic status.

“We expect more women entrepreneurs to participate in the programme next year as many women are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” she added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUCHING, Dec 12 — Sih Hua Tong is not one to dwell on past defeats. In his case, he was beaten twice but he considers it a chance to “prove his sincerity“ to the people of opposition stronghold Batu Lintang where he is standing as a Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) candidate for the third time in the upcoming state election.

“It has been a painstaking journey but I believe in what I am doing. I have and will continue to help the people here, becoming an ADUN (state assemblyman) will mean I will have a more effective platform to serve and bring up the bigger issues affecting Batu Lintang like addressing flood problems in the state assembly,” he said after visiting a kampung here earlier today.

Batu Lintang is a working class urban residential area with a sprinkle of middle income homes and several kampungs. It has close to 30,000 voters, of which 85 per cent are Chinese and the rest of the community are Ibans, Malays and a small number of Indians.

Sih, 57, took over as Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Batu Lintang branch chairman in 2011, the year he first stood as a candidate. It was then won by See Chee How, formerly of DAP, who contested on a PKR ticket and defended it in 2016.

The incumbent, who has since joined Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), is seen as a strong contender once again in the five-cornered fight in next Saturday’s polls. In the fray is another veteran Voon Lee Shan who won the seat in 2006 for DAP and now president of Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) which is contesting 73 of the 82 seats for the first time.

As a new candidate in 2011, Sih polled 26 per cent of the votes amid the opposition’s call for change and in 2016, he garnered a 36.5 per cent share and halved See’s winning majority.

“2016 was lucky in a way because of the Adenan (the then Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem) factor. This time there is no wind of change like in 2011. Things have calmed down, I think the voters will be very fair in looking for the better individual,” said Sih, who is a Universiti Malaya-training engineer.

A kampung boy himself from Saratok, Sih has made it a point to visit all seven kampungs in the constituency, the smallest being Kampung Nada with 26 houses, and even taught himself Iban to talk to the villagers.

“It may seem daring to say this but there is no place in Batu Lintang I have not been to. For the rest of the campaign period, I would continue to do my usual things, make more friends and get their support,” he said.

Apart from the three candidates. the other contestants are newcomers, Cherishe Ng from PKR and Alex Leong from Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi).

“Whether I win or lose is a different concern, there are problems that need attention. Even if I am not elected, as a friend I will still assist the people of Batu Lintang,” said Sih.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

JOHOR BAHRU, Dec 12 — Two Fire and Rescue Department officers and a factory emergency response team (ERT) personnel were hurt when an explosion occurred during a fire at a factory in Taman Perindustrian Segamat 2, Segamat, yesterday.

Bandar Baru Segamat fire and rescue station chief, Senior Asst Fire Supt Mazuki Ismail said the three were Senior Fire Officer II Syed Putra Syed Mohd Al Atas, 52, Fire Officer Mohd Firdaus Sulaiman, 32, and factory ERT member Mohamad Azuraini Mahrani, 40.

“We received an emergency call about the fire at the sawdust processing factory at 5.15 am. During the firefighting operation, an explosion occurred at the third floor around 10 am, causing a collapse in the factory’s building structure.

“The explosion caused Mohd Firdaus and Mohamad Azuraini to fall around 10 metres (m) down from the third floor, while Syed Putra, who was below, was hit by the heat wave, causing burns to the back of his head,” he said when contacted by Bernama here today.

According to him, Mohd Firdaus and Mohamad Azuraini, who were seriously injured, are being treated at the Segamat Hospital intensive care unit (ICU), while Syed Putra received outpatient treatment at the same hospital.

He said the fire occurred only at the boiler along the pathway for the sawdust and did not involve the entire three-storey factory building.

He said a team of officers and personnel from the Bandar Baru Segamat and Labis fire and rescue stations were mobilised to the site of the fire.

“The operation ended at 10.56 pm yesterday. The cause and total losses are still being investigated,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

SANDAKAN, Dec 12 — The Rapid Assessment and Vaccination Operation (RAVO), which ended last Nov 30, will be continue if there is a need to increase the COVID-19 vaccination rate in the six districts in Sabah that still record low vaccination rate.

State Community Development and People’s Welfare Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya said RAVO, implemented by the Sabah State Health Department (JKNS), was launched last October and targeted Kinabatangan, Kunak, Tawau, Tongod, Sandakan and Nabawan, as the districts recorded a vaccination rate of below 70 percent.

“However, through this RAVO effort, over 90 per cent of the adult population had been vaccinated. So, we will carry out RAVO again if the need arises,” he said.

He told reporters this after attending the appreciation ceremony for the Rukun Tetangga Community (KRT) and Community Vaccine Mobilisation (Movak) volunteers involved with the Sandakan-level COVID-19 National Immunisation Programme here today.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency