Day: June 25, 2024

KUALA LUMPUR, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today reiterated Malaysia’s stance to continue defending the rights of the Palestinian people.

He said the government’s stance has also been expressed at the global level through international conferences and during his meetings with key world leaders.

‘The government stands firm in defending the rights of the people in Gaza, even during international summits, during meetings with (US) President Joe Biden, (German Chancellor) Olaf Scholz, (Australian Prime Minister) Anthony Albanese, and most recently China’s Premier Li Qiang.

‘At every meeting (with world leaders)…the issue (of Palestine) was raised as our main agenda.

‘We are the only country that openly meets with the leaders of Hamas, even though we received pressure… but we have to do this and defend the position of Hamas as we fought for Nelson Mandela (former president of South Africa) and others,’ he said during Minister’s Question Time at the Dewan Rakyat today.

Anwar said this in reply
to Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah (BN-Paya Besar) who sought clarification on the decision made by a consortium of government-linked investment companies on the sale of Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad (MAHB) shares to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).

The Prime Minister said the MADANI Government under his leadership has also taken the strongest stance in the history of the Malaysian government against Israeli-owned companies.

‘Israeli companies continued to operate (in Malaysia) until last year, only the MADANI Government decided to stop all direct trade including with ZIM (shipping company based in Israel) which did use our port until last year as allowed (to operate) since 2002.

‘So, we have to accept the fact about the firm stance of the current government,’ he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA TERENGGANU, The MAIDAM Education Foundation (YPM) has allocated RM74.8 million for education initiatives this year.

Its chief executive officer, Norhana Yaakub, said the total allocation has increased compared to RM62.9 million last year.

She said the contributing factors to the increase included funding for full scholarship programmes to Tunisia and Algeria in several fields, including Islamic studies, starting this year.

‘Last year, for overseas scholarships, we sent more than 20 students to Jordan to further their studies in the field of Islamic studies at the degree, master’s, and doctorate levels.

‘For 2024, we will start sending students to Tunisia and Algeria. The quota for these three countries, including Jordan, involves more than 60 students,’ she said when contacted today.

She added that apart from sending students abroad, YPM also implements 11 other education initiatives to produce a generation that contributes to the global economy and society.

Among these initiatives are early stud
y assistance, higher education institution (IPT) assistance, one-off assistance for those studying abroad, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), for asnaf families.

She said that last year, YPM spent more than RM2 million on TVET training programmes conducted in collaboration with government institutions and industry.

‘A total of 12,000 students have benefited from the early study assistance programme that we implement every year.

‘This early assistance allows students to better prepare for various levels, including matriculation, diploma, and degree,’ she said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, A total of 65,674 workers were placed in the national job market through the Social Security Organisation’s (Socso) Job Resettlement Programme from January to June this year.

Human Resources Minister Steven Sim said in the winding up session of the Employment Insurance System (Amendment) Bill 2024 that the sectors that recorded the largest number of job losses were manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade and scientific and technical professionals.

“… for the total number of applicants under the Employee Insurance System, as of June 20, 2024, Socso has received 24,963 job loss claims applications of which 20,661 have been approved. This involves a payment of RM127.16 million,” he said.

The bill was then passed by majority vote in favour after 17 Members of Parliament took part in the debate.

The amendment to the Employment Insurance System Act 2017 (Act 800) aims to improve and provide benefits covering social security under the Employment Insurance System, including amending Section 16
to raise the maximum limit of the insurable amount of an employee’s salary from RM5,000 to RM6,000 per month.

In addition, it also aims to amend the Second Schedule and Third Schedule to Act 800 to include the new contribution rates paid by employers and employees.

Earlier, the Dewan Rakyat also passed the Workers’ Social Security (Amendment) Bill 2024 to amend the Workers’ Social Security Act 1969 (Act 4).

Sim said the amendment to increase the maximum insurable salary amount per employee from RM5,000 to RM6,000 per month is expected to benefit approximately 1.5 million employees earning more than RM5,000 per month with an increase in the interest rate of 20.2 per cent.

“For the increase that we put forward for this amendment, the increase in the employer’s contribution is between RM1.70 and RM17.50 per month. We look at the propriety of improving benefits for those who have suffered misfortune.

“At the same time, (it can) ensures that the additional burden of contribution costs for either employees or
employers does not increase dramatically,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, Actor Kamarulzaman Taib admits it will not be easy for him to portray the character of Haji Murat in the local theatre production ‘Haji Murat’, which is based on the novella ‘Hadji Murat’, the final literary work of Russian author Leo Tolstoy.

The play will be staged at Balai Budaya Tun Syed Nasir at Wisma Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) here from tomorrow until June 29.

Kamarulzaman, also known as Che Kem, said the role of Haji Murat demanded extensive mental and physical preparation from him.

“It is a very challenging character to play and far beyond my knowledge. I admit I was terrified to play the role especially since it is the central pillar of this theater production. However, I still accepted the offer as a challenge to explore a great character,” he told Bernama.

‘Hadji Murat’ was translated into Bahasa Melayu by world literary activist Dr Victor Pogadaev and edited by National Laureate Datuk Dr Anwar Ridhwan. The translated version was published by DBP in 2001.

Kamarulzaman, who i
s also a lecturer at the National Academy of Culture and Arts, said Haji Murat’s character was based on a Muslim Chechen fighter who lived in the 19th century and was closely associated with the conflict between Russia and Chechnya around 1840 to 1852.

“Since (the character) Haji Murat was a Chechen, his culture, thinking, movements and behaviour are essential aspects that I need to embody to convincingly portray him to the audience.

“To achieve this, I searched for several similarities between myself and Haji Murat. Through reading, watching documentaries and viewing videos from Russia and the West, I began to understand and immerse myself in the character of Haji Murat and his people’s lives. It turned out to be very interesting and adventurous,” he said, adding he has been busy training for his role since May.

Kamarulzaman, who received the Most Promising Male Actor award at the 21st Malaysian Film Festival, hoped the audience would appreciate the play, which is filled with messages of struggle and love
.

“Haji Murat was a great man. Externally, he looked like a warrior, and he cut a formidable fighter feared by his enemies, yet he was like any ordinary man who loved his wife, mother and children.

“He was trapped between the cruelty of two enemies who used his family as a bargaining chip, leading to a brutal tragedy,” he said, hoping more works by great writers will be staged and well-received by the public.

Directed by A Wahab Hamzah, ‘Haji Murat’ also features Dr Rosdeen Suboh, Badrul Tahir, Ard Omar and Rasdi Daud in the cast.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

MUKAH, Sarawak will launch a major awareness campaign aimed at tackling the rampant issue of vandalism on telecommunications and electrical infrastructure, which has been causing widespread service disruptions and significant financial losses in the state.

State Minister of Utilities and Telecommunications Datuk Seri Julaihi Narawi said the campaign will kick off at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) on July 3.

He said vandalism has resulted in extensive damage to both telecommunications and electrical infrastructure, with estimated losses exceeding RM20 million in the past year alone.

‘Theft of cables and vandalism of equipment such as batteries have led to significant disruptions in telecommunications services,’ he told reporters after a visit to the Sarawak Water Supply Grid Programme for Stressed Areas work site in Pulau Bruit earlier today.

Julaihi said vandalism and cable theft have notably impacted over 1,200 telecommunications towers across Sarawak, including those constructed by the Sar
awak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) and under the National Digital Network Plan (JENDELA) initiative by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in rural areas.

He said the campaign aims to enhance public awareness and foster community vigilance in reporting acts of vandalism promptly. It will involve collaboration among government agencies, telecommunications service providers, educational institutions and the public.

‘In addition, schools across Sarawak will actively participate in educating students about the adverse impact of vandalism and the collective responsibility in safeguarding these critical facilities,’ he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency