Support for change of ‘Menggatal’ to ‘Manggatal’ BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo |
- Support for change of ‘Menggatal’ to ‘Manggatal’
- Malaysia Borneo Cultural Fest coming up in KL
- Sabah needs another 600 doctors
- Residents confident of security control in felda sahabat
- Labuan-Sabah bridge must be studied carefully – Pairin
- New fishing grounds away from petroleum operations
| Support for change of ‘Menggatal’ to ‘Manggatal’ Posted: 25 Feb 2014 09:27 AM PST KOTA KINABALU: 'Manggatal' is the correct spelling for the district now spelled as 'Menggatal', says Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun. "I believe it is just an issue of spelling. I have always known the place as 'Manggatal' since I was a kid but it was changed to 'Menggatal' by language purists on the belief, albeit mistakenly, that they were correcting a misspelling," he told The Borneo Post when asked to comment on the name given to the district. He said that 'Manggatal' was the proper name so it should have been left as it was. He also said that he agreed that the misspelling should be corrected. But he also opined that the name 'Menggatal' has no negative connotation if you look at it humorously! "On a positive note, 'Menggatal' became well known all over the country because of its playful connotation," he said. Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Jainab Ahmad Ayid welcomed the spelling change from 'Menggatal' to 'Manggatal' for the district. "I realise that the connotation is not so good and I hope the relevant authority will act on it, particularly since this has been requested by the folks residing there," she said. Kepayan assemblyman Dr Edwin Bosi has also expressed his support to the name change to 'Manggatal'.   |
| Malaysia Borneo Cultural Fest coming up in KL Posted: 25 Feb 2014 09:26 AM PST KOTA KINABALU: A major event to feature the cultural heritages of Sabah and Sarawak is scheduled to give the national capital a taste of Borneo's merry month of May for the first time this year. The inaugural event, called the Malaysia Borneo Cultural Festival, jointly organized by the Sabah Cultural and Heritage Association (based in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Selangor), the Panggau Sungai Events (for Sarawak culture) and the well-known international fashion designer Von Jolly Couture. The organizing committee's communication director, Dr Azlina Ekat, announcing the major event in a press release here said that the collaboration is also extended to tourism industrial players such as hoteliers, entrepreneurs, transporters, tourist guide bodies and others. "This event in aid of the Ar-Rahman Foundation, a foundation endorsed by the Prime Minister's Department, is dedicated to assisting the less fortunate, including single mothers and orphans," Ekat said. "With the theme 'Bridging Cultures and Traditions', under the endorsement of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the event aims to build unity, understanding and strong bond between Malaysians in line with the 1Malaysia concept," she said. Dr Azalina added Kuala Lumpur had been chosen as the venue due to its strategic location, being within Klang Valley, for easy access by Peninsular Malaysians as well as international tourists. Tentatively it will be held on May 7 to 10 and is expected to be graced by the attendance of the Minister of Tourism and Culture, along with the Sabah and Sarawak tourism and cultural dignitaries, as well as dignitaries from various local communities. "We intend this festival as a prelude of the May to June Gawai and Kaamatan Festivals in Sabah and Sarawak respectively. It is a four-day celebration of arts including crafts, costumes, dances and songs and of Sabah and Sarawak," Dr Azalina explained. "But to kick start towards the penultimate KL event, roadshows and auditions will be held in Miri (March 1 to 2), Sandakan (March 8 to 9); Kota Kinabalu (March 15 to 16); Kuching (March 22 to 23), Georgetown (March 29 to 30); Johor Bharu (April 5 to 6) and Kuala Lumpur (April 12 to 13). "The objectives of this event, among others, are to build unity, understanding and a stronger bond between Malaysians in line with the 1Malaysia concept; to enhance tourism attraction in conjunction with the country's Visit Malaysia Year 2014 programs; to provide an opportunity for the tourists who do not extend their visits to East Malaysia to witness, enjoy and gain greater understanding and appreciation of the rich diversity cultural heritages of Malaysian Borneo which are very different from the Peninsular cultural heritages; and thus to promote Sabah and Sarawak as golden tourism destinations for future tourists," she added. Dr Azalina said that the unique cultural festival would also be a perfect platform and avenue for the promotion and wider coverage for networking, partnership and marketing purposes for tourism operators using the now famous tagline "Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia". "We the organizers are very excited with the potentials of this new brand of cultural festival, and we cordially invite all — locals and tourists — to come and participate in the celebration," she said. Further information on the event can be obtained by contacting 014–5696679 or through the email ping.us@warisansabah.com or borneo@warisansabah.com. |
| Sabah needs another 600 doctors Posted: 25 Feb 2014 08:55 AM PST KOTA KINABALU: The government is mulling a proposal to provide special incentive for doctors to serve in Sabah, said Health Minister Datuk Seri S Subramaniam. He said the ministry was discussing with the Public Services Department (JPA) to have the agency conduct a study on how the existing incentive structure for doctors can be reviewed to provide better perks to those serving in the state. He said the move was needed to help address the shortage of doctors in Sabah, which has remained critical. "The ministry is trying to get more doctors who can serve in Sabah as well Sarawak," he said, noting that there were some 700 physicians currently serving in Sabah and the state needed another 600 to cope with its increasing population. Speaking to reporters after visiting Queen Elizabeth Hospital I here yesterday, Subramaniam said the ministry also suggested for universities in Sabah to provide programmes for specialist doctors. He said this would effectively help increase the number of doctors in the state as these medical students could serve at the hospitals while undergoing their training. He noted there were presently only three universities in the country offering such programmes, namely Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). "The government is always trying through various means to ensure that demand for medical experts in Sabah were met, in addition to continuously improving the healthcare facilities and infrastructure in the state," he said. On a related note, he said the new building at QEH I was 98 per cent completed and contractors were expected to finish all remaining works by June. He said the RM365 million infrastructure constructed to replace the old 'twin tower' building was being fitted with medical equipment and other supporting facilities costing RM120 million. He said QEH I was currently providing 931 hospital beds making it the biggest hospital in the city, while QEH II and Sabah Women and Children Hospital in Likas has a combined capacity of 1,500 beds. Meanwhile, on the H7N9 case in Sabah, he said no new infection was detected after a tourist from China tested positive for the virus and was warded at a local medical facility. The Health Department also did not detect any new cases of H1N1, he added. |
| Residents confident of security control in felda sahabat Posted: 25 Feb 2014 08:28 AM PST LAHAD DATU: Residents in Felda Sahabat here no longer have to worry about their safety, especially from intruders, as the security level in the area has been improved after the intrusion tragedy last year. President of the Youth Council of Felda Sahabat 4 and 5, Sudirman Katani, 33, said the relief felt by the residents was indeed overwhelming. "Residents in Felda Sahabat are no longer worried about recurrence possibility because it is impossible for the tragedy to recur, especially with the surveillance and monitoring activities carried out by the security forces," he told Bernama at Felda Sahabat. He said security control posts had also been set up in Felda Sahabat and in the villages around the Labian Zone, especially along the coastal area. Two battalions of Armed Forces personnel had also been stationed at the control posts in Labian Zone and Sabah Felda areas under the supervision of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) to ensure public safety, he said. Meanwhile, Felda Sahabat Women's Association chief Jaitun Bintang, 48, also acknowledged that the security level in the area had improved with the setting up of ESSCom to coordinate the security forces in the Felda Sahabat and Labian Zone. "The situation in Felda Sahabat would not have returned to normal after the intrusion tragedy without the commitment of the government and the security forces," she said. Hassan Tudok, 52, a resident in Felda Sahabat 5, said he appreciated the government's efforts to improve security in the area. Having been living in the village for 25 years and having seen the strict control and monitoring activities mounted by the security control, he said he believed that the tragedy would not recur. The intrusion tragedy, which occurred in February last year, saw a group of 100 Sulu gunmen holed up at Kampung Tanduo for almost a month before they were defeated by the security forces. — Bernama |
| Labuan-Sabah bridge must be studied carefully – Pairin Posted: 24 Feb 2014 09:25 AM PST by Adrian Nandu. Posted on February 25, 2014, Tuesday LABUAN: Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan said yesterday that the bridge to link Labuan and Sabah might be a grand idea, but the plan must be reviewed carefully from all aspects. "The cost to build the bridge as reported in the newspapers is not less than RM60 billion and this makes it impossible for any one person to be the main decision maker on our side. We must think in the best interest of Sabah and the people in the state. "We need to carefully study each proposal. We cannot answer that the bridge proposal is good as it is a serious matter," he said. Pairin, who was on a one-day working visit to the island, visited the infrastructure at Labuan Ferry Terminal where he said that Labuan and Sabah must work together for better convenience of the ferry terminal for Sabah and Labuan passengers. "The infrastructure at Menumbok has been upgraded through land reclamation of about 1.6 acres, which can cater to around 60 vehicles. "If there is more space provided around Labuan Ferry Terminal, it will be better and much more convenient for roll-on roll-off (roro) ferry passengers who brought their vehicles. "However, I think both sides of Sabah and Labuan must seriously look into how to improve the infrastructure here at Labuan Ferry Terminal," said Pairin, who is also Infrastructure Development Minister. When asked about the plan to set up the Kadazandusun Murut (KDM) College in Tambunan, Pairin who is the Tambunan assemblyman, said that it was still in preliminary planning. "The land title to set up the college is still being finalized, while the temporary community college at Karanaan, Tambunan for skill training has already started this year," he said. Last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced in Tambunan that a KDM college would be set up on a piece of land about 500 to 600 acres at Kaingaran area of the district. Also present were Pairin's assistant ministers, Datuk Ghulam Haidar Khan Bahadar and Datuk Bobbey Suan, and director of Sabah Marine Department, Benjamin Bijion. |
| New fishing grounds away from petroleum operations Posted: 24 Feb 2014 09:23 AM PST by Jenne Lajiun. Posted on February 25, 2014, Tuesday KOTA KINABALU: Sabah fishermen will have new fishing grounds situated safely away from petroleum operations, all thanks to the Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) project. The FAD project is an innovative programme funded by Shell Malaysia and delivered jointly with the Sabah government through the Sabah Fisheries Department and is Malaysia's first private-public sector project of this nature for fishermen. The FAD, a man-made floating structure, is geared at attracting fish. The project involves creating new fishing grounds by placing FADs a safe distance away from the restricted Gumusut-Kakap deep water project area. And last Wednesday, 10 FADs were safely installed in the pre-identified area located about 85 nautical miles off Kota Kinabalu and a safe distance away from the Gumusut-Kakap restricted area. Sabah Shell Malaysia general manager Siti Sulaiman explained that the main aim of the project was for the creation of a fishing venue for fishermen impacted by the company's offshore activities. "For Shell Malaysia, we would like to see local fishermen continue with their daily activities at alternative and safe fishing sites through the project," she said. Under the project, Shell has pledged RM450,000 for the construction and implementation of the FADs. Meanwhile, Fisheries Department director Datuk Rayner Galid said the idea to install the 10 FADs came about in 2010 and that this was followed up with a series of meetings to safeguard the operation of Gumusut-Kakap and to provide alternative fishing sites for fishermen at the area. He said a memorandum of understanding was signed between Shell Malaysia (Sabah) and the department two years later. He described the project as one of the biggest for the benefit of the fishermen community in Sabah. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |