The Star Online: Nation
The Star Online: Nation |
- PM says its expensive to give 20% rebate for entire PTPTN loan
- Augustine Ong, one of three recipients of Merdeka Award 2012
- Adibah Amin awarded National Translation Personality Award 2012
| PM says its expensive to give 20% rebate for entire PTPTN loan Posted: 03 Oct 2012 08:41 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Wednesday indicated that it would be too expensive to give the 20% rebate incentive to those who pay regularly for the entire PTPTN loan rather than just the outstanding amount. "We can't give everything. The incentive is to encourage those who have good values - that of paying back loans. "If these loans are not returned than it will burden others," he said, responding to questions from the online community about Budget 2013 on #TanyaNajib on Wednesday. He was responding to a question from Mohd Faisal who asked why the government did not offer the 20% rebate incentive on the entire PTPTN loan. Asyrah Adlan asked about the rationale behind giving young people RM200 to buy help buy smartphones. Najib said that the government considered the youth important to the country and, as one of their aspirations was to have greater access to the digital world, helping them buy smartphones would aid them achieve a lifestyle they aspired to. The government is still working out a mechanism to disburse the RM200 rebate on smartphone purchases by youths under Budget 2013. Moderator Suhaimi Sulaiman asked Najib to respond to some comments that this was an election budget. Najib clarified that this was a budget ahead of an election and not an election budget that implied that it was designed purely to fish for votes. "This is a fiscally responsible budget that even proposes a reduction in the deficit (from 4.5% this year to 4% next year). "No analyst, local or international, has said this budget was fiscally irresponsible. As such, this budget is not an election budget," he said. Lee Yong Aik, an architect from London, asked what the government was doing to lure Malaysians abroad to return. Najib said that aside from the excellent work by TalentCorp, the the budget was designed to support public and private initiatives that would generate more jobs with higher salaries. He also pointed out that the cost of living in Malaysia was relatively low. However, he acknowledged that entry-level salaries for graduates was still low. "I have a message for employers. If you can pay more, please pay more," he said. To a question about a reduction in car prices, Najib said that the matter was still being studied and a decision would be made in due time. "It's a complex matter. It's not just about cutting excise duties although the ramification for the government is also there as the duties bring in 7bil in revenue "The second hand car market would collapse and we have to consider Proton and the entire eco-system attached to Proton," he said, adding that, despite the prices, Malaysians had among the highest car ownership in the world. Related Stories: |
| Augustine Ong, one of three recipients of Merdeka Award 2012 Posted: 03 Oct 2012 08:21 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian palm oil advocate and promoter, Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Augustine Ong Soon Hock and prominent Muslim philosopher and thinker Prof Tan Sri Dr Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas are among the three recipients of this year's Merdeka Award. The third recipient is Indonesian botanist, Prof Dr Engkik Soepadmo who is the foremost authority on Malaysia's forest plant diversity. The Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, who is the chairman of the board of trustees of the Merdeka Award announced here today that Ong, 78, was awarded in the Health, Science and Technology category. This is for his outstanding contribution to research and development of the chemistry and technology of palm oil and for his significant role in advocating and promoting the Malaysian palm oil industry to the world. Syed Muhammad Naquib, 81, is awarded in the Outstanding Scholastic Achievement category for his contribution to the Islamisation of contemporary knowledge and Muslim education. Soepadmo, 76, is awarded for his outstanding contribution to the people of Malaysia through his research and conservation of Malaysia's forest plant diversity. Raja Nazrin said the three winners, in their course of work, had demonstrated the true spirit of Merdeka, that of the liberation of mind and spirit and the pursuit of excellence. However, he said, this year there were no winners for two other categories, namely Environment and Education and Community. On Ong, who is a scientist, innovator, inventor and pioneer in fundamental palm oil research, Raja Nazrin said he had paved the way for younger scientists to support the industry through research and development. Syed Muhammad Naquib, the contemporary Islamic scholar and thinker, was meanwhile recognised as among the most influential Muslim scholars in the world, he said. "He has made significant contributions to the study of the history of the modern Malay language, and to scholarly research in the area of Islamisation of contemporary knowledge and Muslim education," he added. Among Syed Muhammad Naquib's many achievements was the establishment of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (Istac). On Soepadmo, Raja Nazrin said the scientist-cum-ecologist first came to Malaysia in 1968 and went on to become Universiti Malaya's Profesor of Ecology and had described 56 new species of tropical plants and trees, with six species named after him. "Through advocacy, collaboration and scientific research and publications, he has contributed significantly towards the establishment of protected forest areas in Malaysia." He said Soepadmo had done pioneering work on the reproductive biology and population dynamics of selected groups of economically important tree species. Each recipient will receive the prize money of RM500,000, a trophy and a certificate. With these awards, a total of 17 individuals and two organisations have received the Merdeka Award since it was established in 2007. - Bernama |
| Adibah Amin awarded National Translation Personality Award 2012 Posted: 03 Oct 2012 08:04 AM PDT PUTRAJAYA: Former journalist Khalidah Adibah Amin, better known as Adibah Amin, was awarded the National Translation Personality Award 2012 on Wednesday. Johor-born Adibah, 76, was selected based on her contributions to developing the thinking psychology of the race through translation. "I am very moved by the award and thank you...may the award such as this continue to recognise the efforts of translators," she said when met by reporters here. She translated a book of national laureate Shahnon Ahmad's 'Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan' (No Harvest But Thorns) in 1972 and Keris Mas' 'Rimba Harapan' (Jungle of Hope) in 2000. Describing her effort to translate 'Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan' as her toughest piece, Adibah, who was a teacher, dedicated the award to the writer. "The younger generation needs to be bold to produce better quality, translated works," she said, appearing frail but determined to produce more translated books. Apart from being active in translation, Adibah was also a writer of several novels and general reading materials, including a book, 'Seroja Masih Di Kolam' in 1968, followed by 'Tempat Jatuh Lagi Dikenang' (1985), 'As I Was Passing 1' (2006) and 'As I Was Passing 2' (2007). The award was presented by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who also presented other awards such as the 'Best Translation Award' and 'Translation Appreciation'. - Bernama |
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