Folklore festival a bridge of friendship — Masidi BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo |
- Folklore festival a bridge of friendship — Masidi
- Royal College of Defence Studies UK students visit ESSCom
- Sabah Energy declares RM6.50 mln dividend to state government
- Husband and wife perish in fire
- BN may break up – Pairin
- Long journey to Sabah pays off for Filipinos
| Folklore festival a bridge of friendship — Masidi Posted: 09 Jun 2014 11:33 AM PDT KOTA KINABALU: Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun has described the annual Sabah International Folklore Festival (SIFF) as a bridge of friendship and goodwill between the participating nations. Speaking at the welcoming dinner for the 9th SIFF 2014 participants here last night, Masidi said while the dance showcase may be minor in terms of importance compared to what is happening in the rest of the world, he believed it sent a message of peace and love to the world. "We are sending a powerful message to the rest of the world that we are peace-loving countries. And that is the reason some of the participants took the trouble to fly thousands of kilometres to show the world that we want peace and all the people in the world are brothers and sisters," said Masidi. He added that Sabah which has the most diverse cultures in Malaysia wanted to showcase its peace and harmony to the participating countries. "Sabah has a population of over 3.2 million but there are 32 ethnic groups speaking more than 50 languages. Race and religion have never been a problem and practically every Sabahan has relatives from the other side of the religious divide. "I believe the different religious beliefs have never been a problem for us because we allow God to do His job well, and we don't interfere in the manner God does His job," he said. Masidi said if there was any contribution from the SIFF, it would be the participants' desire to tell the rest of the world that they would like peace in this world. The SIFF started on June 7 and among the countries participating are Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Philippines, Ghana, South Korea, Russia, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Egypt.   |
| Royal College of Defence Studies UK students visit ESSCom Posted: 09 Jun 2014 11:32 AM PDT LAHAD DATU: Twenty students from the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS), United Kingdom visited the headquarters of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) here yesterday. The delegation, led by Major General Sir Sebastian John Lechmere Roberts (senior army representative) comprised 19 senior military officers from various countries including Sudan, Lebanon, Italy, Estonia, Egypt, Ghana, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Kenya and the United Kingdom. On arrival, they were warmly received by director of ESSCom defence division, Major General Datuk Masrani Paiman and other senior officials of ESSCom. The visit was to provide students with more information about ESSCom, especially on the concept and implementation of the integrated operation by various agencies and its procedures to address challenges and issues. Masrani gave a briefing on the roles and functions of ESSCom, including the challenges faced in curbing transnational crime, particularly on kidnapping cases in Eastern Sabah Safety Zone (ESSZone). Major General Lechmere Roberts, in his speech, said the delegation was satisfied with the briefing and was impressed by the commitment of Malaysia to address transnational crime, especially in ESSZone. ESSCom, established on April 1, 2013 following the intrusion at Kampung Tanduo by Sulu terrorists, is responsible for coordinating the ESSZone comprises 10 districts on Sabah eastern seaboard, covering 1,733.7 kilometres from Kudat to Tawau and the districts include Kudat, Kota Marudu, Pitas, Beluran, Sandakan, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu, Kunak, Semporna and Tawau. The delegation later visited the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) complex in Lahad Datu. |
| Sabah Energy declares RM6.50 mln dividend to state government Posted: 09 Jun 2014 11:31 AM PDT KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Energy Corporation Sdn Bhd (SEC) has declared a dividend of RM6.50 million to the state government for the financial year ended 31st Dec 2013. This was in addition to a special gross dividend of RM76.3 million that was paid out during the same financial year. The total cumulative gross dividends to the State Government to date is RM169 million. SEC chief executive officer Dato' Harun Ismail presented the dividend to Datuk Pg Hassanel Datuk Haji Tahir, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, witnessed by Chief Minister cum Finance Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman, SEC chairman Datuk Au Kam Wah and the company's board of directors. Musa said he was pleased that the SEC Group had continued its good performance and maintained its record of paying dividends to the State every year. "It shows SEC is one of the performing State GLCs, which can only be achieved through adopting sound management practices such as prudent spending, transparency and accountability." He said SEC had made commendable progress in bringing natural gas to the factories in Kota Kinabalu through an innovative "Virtual Pipeline System". He said it was good for Sabah as natural gas is significantly cheaper than alternative fuels. "In addition, natural gas is much cleaner and would have a smaller carbon footprint. As such I have requested SEC to bring these benefits to other factories throughout Sabah." Musa said it was also important for SEC and ASB to continue their efforts in the oil and gas sector so that Sabah can increase its direct role in this industry. During the presentation, Harun said that SEC and its group of companies achieved a profit before tax of RM97 million for the 2013 financial year. At the company level, SEC's profit before tax was RM27 million. Asian Supply Base Sdn Bhd (ASB), a wholly owned subsidiary which provides services to the oil and gas industry, made a profit before tax of about RM73 million. During the 2013 financial year, the State Government increased its paid up capital in SEC by RM57.2 million through reinjection of dividends received. Today the total share capital is about RM300 million while the total shareholders' funds of the group is about RM714 million. |
| Husband and wife perish in fire Posted: 09 Jun 2014 10:48 AM PDT KUNAK: A married couple were burnt to death after their house at Kampung Kunak Jaya was destroyed in a fire early yesterday morning. The charred remains of Jumadi Sakka and his wife, Dahati Juma, both in their 50s, were found in the kitchen of the house. Public relations officer of State Fire and Rescue Department, Mohd Affendy K Ramin, said his department received a distress call at 1.08am and rushed a fire engine with six firefighters to the scene. "Upon arrival at the scene seven minutes later, the fire was at its peak. However we managed to control the blaze from spreading to other premises about 30 minutes later. "The fire was completely extinguished at 2.12am and the charred remains of the couple believed to have been trapped inside the house, were found in the kitchen area," he said when contacted. Affendy added that the bodies were taken to the Kunak Hospital for further action while the cause of the fire and losses were still under investigation. We encourage commenting on our stories to give readers a chance to express their opinions; please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. While the comments here reflect the views of the readers, they are not necessarily that of Borneo Post Online. Borneo Post Online reserves the right not to publish or to remove comments that are offensive or volatile. Please read the Commenting Rules. |
| Posted: 08 Jun 2014 06:13 PM PDT by Nancy Lai. Posted on June 9, 2014, Monday KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan has called on the Barisan Nasional (BN) to ensure that the principle of consensus decision making is rigorously maintained. If this is not done, Pairin said he feared that it could cause the BN to break up as the consensus principle strengthens and bonds the coalition. "That is very crucial (and) very important because this consensual decision brings about a feeling of sincerity, respectability and commitment which strengthens and bonds the BN together. Now, if that were to be destroyed, then it is not going to be the same and will lead to the break-up of BN because it will allow a free-for-all situation," he stressed when met at the PBS Inanam annual general meeting yesterday. Pairin was commenting on Luyang assemblyman Dr Hiew King Cheu joining BN through MCA, which party president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai reportedly said had the blessings of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman. On whether MCA's decision to accept Hiew had the consensus of BN component parties, Pairin said it was very obvious it was not done with the consensus of the other component parties. He said PBS secretary general Datuk Johnny Mositun had already made his statement to explain that there ought to be a consensus because that is the principle right from before. "Even with the Prime Minister and Chief Minister's blessings, the decision must be by consensus which means that everyone must agree to it. "And what happened when PBS tried to take in Datuk John Ghani was very clear in that it must be with the consensus, (and) because Umno objected we had to let go. The same principle must apply here. That is very crucial, very important, because this consensual decision brings about a feeling of sincerity, respectability, commitment which strengthens and bonds BN together. "Now if that is going to be destroyed, then it is not going to be the same and will allow for the break-up of BN because it will allow for a free-for-all situation and what has happened here was done outside of the consensus, in other words, (it was) unethically done," he opined. According to Pairin, the principle of consensus also played a part in PBS's re-entry into BN because if a single component had objected to it, PBS would not have been allowed to join the coalition. "Therefore, this spirit has to be maintained," he stressed. Pairin also questioned why MCA was insistent on accepting Hiew into the party. "Is it because they could not win many seats in Peninsular? And why is it that when they were given a chance to contest in (Batu) Gelugor they did not do so? What are all these implications? It is not something good, rather it is something confusing to the other BN component members," he stressed. Pairin also said that PBS would be writing to the BN central leadership on the matter and the contents of the letter would emphasize on the principle of consensus decision. "I will be airing the matter during the BN Supreme Council meeting and in fact I have said it in the BN Supreme Council meeting last month. I am not the only one talking about it as there were other component members stressing on this consensus decision also," he said. |
| Long journey to Sabah pays off for Filipinos Posted: 08 Jun 2014 06:11 PM PDT by Mariah Doksil. Posted on June 9, 2014, Monday KOTA KINABALU: After spending hours traveling to Sabah with her 45 team members, Azy Resurreccion of Boracay, Philippines not only enjoyed the friendly atmosphere here but together with her team, won two categories at the Sabah FCAS International Dragon Boat Race 2014. Her team, Boracay AllStars went home with two golds, two silvers and one bronze in all five categories that they participated in at the event, which was held at Likas Bay during the weekend. The boat, bus and aeroplane journey from their hometown was all worth it. "This is our first time joining dragon boat race in Malaysia. It is really exciting to be here representing Boracay Island of the Philippines, and we are eyeing for next year's race. "We have been competing in several races in Hong Kong and Singapore, but Sabah is another place that we should consider in participating annually because of the potential in the future. "We saw a number of local participants passed out at the first day race, and even today many collapsed after paddling for the 800-meter categories. It may [have been] caused [by] lack of training, but we clearly saw the potential of Sabahan teams. We may come back next year to challenge them in the name of watersport," she said. Resurreccion was the team leader for Boracay AllStars, a dragon boat race club from Boracay, a small island in Aklan province 345km south of Manila. Asked whether Boracay AllStars' participation in the event was to foster mutual friendship between the two countries, the team's trainer, Ken Nacor said the team members were not fully funded by the Philippines government to bring peace and friendship between the Philippines and Malaysia, but that they were just a club team, trying to be part of international events such as Sabah FCAS International Dragon Boat Race 2014. "If we bring it (peace and friendship), it will be through our passion for the sport and we just intend to represent our community and our supporters in Boracay. "The hospitality in Sabah is something very special to us, so yes, we met new awesome friends here in Sabah. We are also honoured with the support from the Philippines citizens who have been residing here in Sabah who helped us with food. It really feels like home," said Nacor. Other international teams which participated at the two-day event were Brunei Darussalam and Australia. Team leader of Gamta Brunei Darussalam, Mohd Fadillah Sarudin said after participating in the yearly dragon boat race at the same venue, Likas Bay for several years, this year was very exciting because of the increased number of categories. "We have been participating in this race for many, many years, but this year we see more categories have been added. We might bring our women team next year. "It was never in our history of having a women's team, but since the category of this event is growing so next year we are considering bringing them. "Teams from Boracay and Tanjung Papat are the strongest team this year, but with lots of training, we are hoping to be able to challenge them next year," said Fadillah. Meanwhile, a team member of South Australia's Black Dragons Dragon Boat Club, Andrew Spurling, said the team would come back with a bigger number and stronger team next year. "We came to this year's race with not enough paddlers. It clearly explains why we did not win any categories this year. "However, it always feels good to be here in Sabah, especially when the hospitality is always on the top of the priority," he added. The Sabah FCAS International Dragon Boat Race 2014 is formally known as Sabah Dragon Boat Race. The Chinese Cultural Association was the former organizer of the race until the state government decided to give the Federation of Chinese Association (FCAS) the mandate to take over in organising this year's event. Earlier in the event, FCAS president Datuk Seri T.C Goh said the federation had set a date for next year's race, hoping the early announcement will bring more participation from Peninsular Malaysia, as well as international participants. "Sabah Second FCAS International Dragon Boat Race 2015 will be held on June 13 and 14 next year. With the announced dates, we are hoping the other dragon boat race organizers, especially in Penang and Putrajaya, will choose other dates to ensure we are not clashing with it. "This year, our race clashed with both Penang and Putrajaya dragon boat races. That is why we did not see any participation from our counterparts from the peninsular," he said. The final race yesterday began as early as 6.30am with the arrival of team members followed by races in five categories. Head of State Tun Juhar Mahiruddin and his wife, Toh Puan Norlidah R.M. Jasni were the guests of honour accompanied by Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun who arrived at the venue at 10am. The 24 Chinese Drums Performance and Zong Zi dumpling offering ceremony were among the highlights of the event. Dragon Boat Festival or Duan Wu Jie is a traditional Chinese event. The festival commemorates Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet during the Warring States period in ancient China. Dragon boat race and the eating of Zong Zi, glutinous rice dumpling, is part of the festival. Nowadays, the race has evolved into an international sport event which transcends time and regional boundaries. In Malaysia, the dragon boat festival binds different races together and eliminates racial barriers. Different people in one boat, but they move as one. |
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