NST : Telematch fun for special children

2011/06/26
By Looi Sue-Chern

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The sack race give participants a hopping good time. — Pictures by Mohamad Danial Mohamad Saad

NIBONG TEBAL: Children with special needs had fun at the Family Day celebration recently.

Together with their parents, family members, teachers and members of the local community, the children from the Special Children's Welfare Association (Perkis) in Taman Belatuk, Jalan Bukit Panchor, here, engaged in exciting telematch games.

The event, which was held in a field in front of the association's premises, had about 100 participants.

Perkis chairman Tan Cheng Liang, who is also the Barisan Nasional coordinator for Jawi, said it was the 12th time the association had organised its Family Day celebration.

She said the small affair meant a great deal to the children and their families.

"An event like this will draw positive attention on this special group of children, lifting their spirits and giving them the motivation to face the wider world outside," said Tan, who also presented medals to winners of the telematch.

Perkis was established as a non-governmental organisation 22 years ago. It has 75 children in its care.

Read more: Telematch fun for special children http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/pgperkis2/Article#ixzz1QTGdTDLk

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Mothers of special children showed that they too were a force to be reckoned with in a tug-of-war event

NST : Stop harassing poor families'

Stop harassing poor families'

2011/06/19
By Adie Suri Zulkefli 

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BUTTERWORTH: The state housing division has been urged to stop hounding the 20 poor families in the Taman Bagan Rakyat low-cost flats in Raja Uda for failing to settle their rental arrears amounting to thousands of ringgit.

Barisan Nasional Bagan parliamentary coordinator David Chua said the state government should find ways to settle the arrears.

Chua claimed that officers from the state housing division had been hounding the tenants by making phone calls to pressure them into settling their arrears or risked being evicted.

The families have been served with final notices to settle the arrears since February.

"We urge the state government to stop pressuring the families and to find an amicable solution," he said after meeting the families yesterday.

The families, some of whom depend on monthly allowances from the Welfare Department, were unable to pay the RM120 monthly fee. Some had racked up arrears amounting to more than RM5,000 each.

Chua urged the state housing division to give the families more time as MCA was referring the matter to the Implementation Coordination Unit under the Prime Minister's Department.

"We are applying for an allocation from the ICU to help these families settle their rents."

MCA was also helping five families, who were served with final notices for failing to settle their utility bills, which will be settled tomorrow.

Among them is single parent Sarinah Ariffin and her four children. They have been living without electricity supply for the past nine months.

She said Tenaga Nasional Bhd cut the supply to her unit last year after her former husband failed to settle RM1,721 arrears.

Sarinah, who is unemployed, said she depended on a RM400 allowance from the Welfare Department to support her children aged between 7 and 15.

On top of that, her former husband had also failed to pay the rental since 2006, which now amounted to more than RM6,000.

Another resident, Fadzil Mohd Hassan, 61, who lost his eyesight because of an ailment 13 years ago, claimed that officers from the state housing division had warned him to settle the dues or face eviction during their visit to the flats four months ago.

"How am I to pay when I cannot work and depend on a RM200 monthly allowance?" asked the father of eight.

HARIAN METRO (RAP) Ingin tanding tilawah al-Quran

myMetro  Rap

Ingin tanding tilawah al-Quran

Oleh Mohamad Danial Mohamad Saad
am@hmetro.com.my

SEBAIK berpisah dengan kekasihnya, Ahmad Afif Tirmizie atau Afif, 25, yang juga peserta Akademi Fantasia musim kesembilan (AF9) penyanyi bertudung dan juga bekas pelajar AF4, Salima Habibi, 22, akui lebih matang serta banyak berubah dalam kehidupan harian.

Katanya, selepas masing-masing tidak sehaluan serta dan berpisah cara baik, beliau kini lebih banyak menghabiskan masa dengan melakukan aktiviti seperti biasa.

“Walaupun melalui detik sukar, nyata ia memberi pengalaman berharga. Kami kini masih berkawan seperti biasa dan rapat dengan keluarga masing-masing cuma percintaan kami lebih dua tahun tidak kekal kerana mungkin tiada jodoh.

“Percintaan kami bermula kerana seni dan minat dalam bidang yang sama, tapi mungkin cinta itu pada usia muda dan tidak dapat pergi lebih jauh.

“Selepas kami dapati tidak serasi, kami ambil keputusan berpisah dan bukan kerana bergaduh. Semuanya sudah takdir dan mungkin bukan jodoh kami,” katanya.

Katanya, peristiwa itu tidak membuatkan dia serik untuk menjalinkan hubungan dengan jejaka lain malah tidak mahu mengambil masa terlalu lama untuk bercinta kembali dengan berserah kepada jodoh untuk menamatkan zaman solonya.

Akuinya, perasaan kecewa tetap timbul apabila hubungan yang diharapkan berkekalan putus di tengah jalan dan ianya terjadi disebabkan takdir.

Katanya, mengakui imejnya sebagai wanita bertudung dipandang serong sesetengah pihak yang melihat gambar bersama bekas kekasih tersebar di blog hiburan.

“Saya kenal wanita yang dikatakan kekasih baru Afif, saya tidak cemburu atau marah kerana itu jodoh mereka. Saya mendoakan kebahagiaan mereka,

“Apa yang terjadi antara kami ada hikmahnya, mungkin Tuhan akan temukan kami dengan pasangan masing-masing yang lebih baik atau terbaik.

“Saya kini lebih tumpukan kepada kerjaya dan kini sedang mengikuti kembali pengajian dan latihan tilawah, Insya- Allah, saya ingin bertanding untuk mewakili Perak ke pertandingan peringkat kebangsaan pada tahun hadapan,” katanya.

Salima kini bernaung di bawah syarikat World Event Management Sdn Bhd (WEM) bersama Lan Kristal, Khai, Rosma, Aliff Razali dan ramai lagi, Syarikat itu kini dalam perancangan untuk menghasilkan lagu raya dan seterusnya lagu single masing-masing.

Katanya, melalui syarikat itu mereka bebas untuk mempelbagaikan bakat yang ada dan pelbagai aktiviti dan perancangan dilakukan hasil perbincangan bersama,

“Saya merancang untuk menghasilkan skrip teater berunsur dakwah kerana itu harapan dan impian saya selama ini,

Anak sulung daripada lima beradik ini juga pernah menjadi pelakon dalam beberapa teater dan menjadi jurucakap produk AC Konsortium Sdn Bh (AC Konsortium) sebelum menarik diri.

http://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/Ingintandingtilawahal-Quran/Article/index_html

NST : PROBLEM MOST FOUL

PROBLEM MOST FOUL

Pix By Mohamad Danial Mohamad Saad

By Adie Suri Zulkefli

2011/06/14

Residents of Mutiara Jaya Flats in Simpang Ampat, Penang, have to put up with overflowing garbage because of insufficient bins

NIBONG TEBAL: For the past two years, residents of Mutiara Jaya Flats in Simpang Ampat have been forced to put up with the stench from overflowing rubbish due to the lack of garbage bins at the five blocks of flats.

To compound matters, rubbish from the two bins is often scattered around the blocks by stray dogs as garbage collection is irregular.

And when it rains, the stench becomes unbearable.

The residents claim that they have raised the matter with the Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) and the project developer numerous times for the past two years.

To their dismay, MPSP and the project developer allegedly passed the buck to each other, leaving residents in the lurch.

Checks show there are two garbage collection sites at the flats, with each site having three bins, but they were in a deplorable condition.

The residents claim the garbage bins are not enough to contain the daily domestic waste produced by the 480 units of flat dwellers.

Mutiara Jaya Flats Rukun Tetangga (RT) deputy chairman Harun Zakaria, 39, said it has forwarded written complaifts with pictures to MPSP and the relevant authorities several times, but nothing has been done.

"We also contacted MPSP, but each time we were passed from one person to another and were given all sorts of excuses," said Harun

He said the flats were in dire need of more garbage bins and a more efficient garbage collection service.

"For how long must we put up with the foul smell?" he asked.

Resident Khairul Azman Abd Manan, 33, alleged that the contractor appointed by MPSP to remove garbage from the area only collected rubbish in the bins.

"They are simply not bothered to collect rubbish that spill over to the ground," said Khairul, who has been living here for 11 years.

Another resident Mohd Arif Shin, 57, said the area was fast turning into a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

"There have been several dengue cases in our area. We are worried that if this garbage issue is not resolved soon, more people would be sick with dengue fever," he said.

Meanwhile, an MPSP spokesman clarified that the supply of garbage bins did not fall under the council's jurisdiction, but the flats' joint management board.

He said that under the council act, MPSP is only responsible for managing garbage collection from dumpsters, while the supply of garbage bins is the board's responsibility.

He said the issue was discussed at a meeting recently when the council was informed that the developer has agreed to sponsor five bins for the area. The garbage bins were expected to be handed to the flats' residents on Sunday.

In the meantime, he said the council has instructed the contractor appointed to handle garbage collection for the area to clear the rubbish at the dumping site.

Pix : LORI TERBABAS

10 Jun 2011 : Seorang pemandu sebuah treler membawa kontena nyaris maut apabila kenderaan yang dipandunya hampir terjunam selepas terbabas di jejambat di bulatan Seberang Jaya, Kilometer 135.5 Lebuhraya Utara Selatan menghala Selatan. Pemandu treler berkenaan tidak mengalami sebarang kecederaan selepas berjaya keluar dari kenderaannya yang 'tergantung' di tepi jejantas terbabit.

Pix : KES DERA

 Mangsa dera empat tahun yang didera teman lelaki ibunya ketika menerima kunjungan Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM), Exco Kerajaan Negeri di Hospital Seberang Jaya, Pulau Pinang.

Pengarah JKM Negeri, Zulkifli Ismail (kiri) melihat kesan kecederaan kanak-kanak lelaki berusia empat tahun yang menjadi mangsa dera teman lelaki ibunya yang turut disertai Exco Kebajikan, Kesihatan, Masyarakat Penyayang dan Alam Sekitar negeri, Phee Boon Poh (kanan) ketika mereka melawat kanak-kanak tersebut di Hospital Seberang Jaya, Pulau Pinang