Archive for the ‘BornInMalaysia’ category

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getting RM50 only as welfare aid

November 26th, 2011
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The article didn’t mention if the adult children are staying with her, so that may be one of the reasons why she’s getting just RM50 as aid.  But being one of the 30 cases, then there may be some other issues here. The Welfare Dept’s guideline may also need to be updated, if there’s any provision for RM50. Nowadays even RM300 also not enough for the urban poor.

She lost her factory job and her husband died several years ago. Without a steady income, her health has deteriorated and her two adult children cannot even afford to fend for themselves.

Single mother Savunthary Muniandy, 49, is crying for help.

“My 22-year-old daughter is a single mother who has a baby to feed. My son, 26, has been wayward for a long time now.

“I can’t even afford to pay my medical bills for diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol problems. I owe my relatives over RM3,000 for my bills,” she said yesterday.

Savunthary is one of 30 single mothers from Cempaka Flats in Gombak, who sought help from the Umno Youth Community Complaints Bureau after they claimed their appeals for financial support from the Welfare Department had fallen on deaf ears.

She receives RM50 a month from the department which can hardly pay for her flat rental of RM450.

Bureau chairman Datuk Muhd Khairun Aseh said the single mothers received between RM30 and RM150 when they should be getting a minimum of RM300 a month, depending on their situation.

“How are they going to survive?” Muhd Khairun asked, adding that he had prepared a memorandum to be submitted to department officials on Monday for them to act on their complaints.

source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/11/25/nation/9972898&sec=nation

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no circular on halal food in vernacular school canteens

November 26th, 2011
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On one hand, if you want to show respect to the rights of the Muslim students, then must provide halal food as per the Ministry guideline. But if you insist “only halal” food, then you are denying the rights of the other students. Being communities from religions that respect everyone, the best is to have a section of the canteen at the vernacular schools to cater for Muslim students and staff. There’s no problem with Tamil schools as they don’t serve pork nor beef based products.  So, good thing that there’s not such circulars from MOE curtailing the food types.

I wonder, how many schools cater for the non-Muslims students by offering the respective food cooked by own community – at least can also help the small operators. Wonder if the ministry has such guidelines.

The best is to offer a variety, as long as the students are aware and don’t mix utensils.

I still remember the char kuey teow in my school, prepared by the Chinese uncle. Delicious!

 

There is no directive from the Education Ministry that only halal food be sold at all Chinese and Tamil primary schools, said its Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong.

He said while under the ministry’s guidelines, canteen operators must provide halal food if there was a sufficient number of Muslim students in the school concerned, Chinese and Tamil school canteen operators could also offer non-halal food to their non-Muslim students.

“However, in practice, school canteen operators usually offer pork-free food,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby Wednesday.

Dr Wee was responding to a vernacular news report stating that a circular was recently issued by the Negri Sembilan Education Department to schools in the state that only halal food be sold by canteen operators.

Based on initial feedback, he said Negri Sembilan’s Education Director had confirmed that no such directive had been issued.

source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2011%2F11%2F23%2Fnation%2F20111123175642&sec=nation

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3 months no reply on welfare application?

November 20th, 2011
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Wow! 3 months is a long time, especially the low income and poor folks who are in need of such help. Wonder why no reply. If not qualified or application incomplete, can just reply saying so.

Bagan Dalam state assemblyman A. Thanasekharan has threatened to stage a demonstration if the Social Welfare Department continues to delay processing application for aid from Seberang Perai Utara.

He was speaking to reporters after visiting the Social Welfare Department’s office in Kepala Batas on Tuesday.

Thanasekharan had gone to find out the status of 30 applicants who had submitted a request for aid about three months ago and had not received any reply.

“Most of the applicants had complained that they are usually told that the officer is not around, had gone out or no reply from the head office

source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/11/19/nation/9935105&sec=nation

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Youth to be defined as aged between 18 and 25

November 17th, 2011
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I think 9 years is too long. A 4 year period will suffice as I think all societies/organisations would at least have their AGMs within a three year period.

 

Only those aged 18 to 25 will be defined as youth under a new National Youth Policy.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the proposal to change the current definition of “youth” from those aged 18 to 40 years old to 18 to 25 years old was in line with international standards.

“The United Nations’ definition of youth’ is 15 to 24 years old while the Commonwealth’s is 15 to 29 years old.

“We are defining those below 25 years old as youth’,” he said after opening the second National Youth Consultative Council meeting here yesterday.

Ahmad Shabery said the draft policy would replace the old one introduced in 1997.

“This means that by 2020, only those aged between 18 and 25 years old can be members and hold office in youth organisations.

“Before we set the current limit of 40 years old, we had office bearers of youth organisations who were more than 50 years old.

“It took three years for most organisations to comply with the rule.

“Now, we are giving youth organisations nine years to make the change so they have time to prepare,” he said.

While the draft policy still needs Cabinet approval, Ahmad Shabery said the “youth” age revision was in tandem with the liberalisation of regulations that govern student participation in youth organisations outside the school or university campus.

“In the past, students were not allowed to participate in organisations outside the campus.

“Now, they can take part in non-political organisations. However, many do not realise that,” he said.

Ahmad Shabery hoped that the change would encourage more young people to assume leadership positions in the country.

source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/11/17/nation/9918718&sec=nation

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Petronas employs based on merit

November 15th, 2011
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I suppose we should consider all organisations that have 80% of its employees from one racial/ethnic categorisation as not having racial quota.

Conversely, if we have enough people from that category who able to get jobs based on merit until can reach 80% of the staff employed, then it means other organisations are having some sort of quota that limits them to less than such high percentages (or maybe the requirements are such that they don’t qualify on merit). And it also means that those in that category are actually able to compete and excel on merit, so perhaps time to remove the crutches?

I also wonder if the non-bumiputeras also includes foreigners. Perhaps another statistics of Malaysian/non-Malaysian should be provided.

 

There is no racial quota in Petronas’ appointments and employment, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcob.

He said currently, the workforce composition in the national oil company was 80% bumiputra and 20% non-bumiputra.

“The breakdown this year is consistent with that of last year,” he said when responding to a question from Datuk Ibrahim Ali (Independent-Pasir Mas) at the Dewan Rakyat here Thursday.

Nor Mohamed said there was a slight increase in bumiputra appointments for senior positions from 83% in 2010 to 86% this year.

“Petronas is practising meritocracy in the appointment of employees from external recruitment, and its internal promotion exercise is based on merit, in its efforts to compete globally,” he added.

source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/11/10/nation/20111110170201&sec=nation

 

 

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