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Thousands of visitors throng Medini Hall in Nusa Jaya for Earth Hour party
GE13: The people of Tenggara constituency are happy with what they have now
GE13: Opposition changes tune to gain popularity, says Mohamed Khaled

Thousands of visitors throng Medini Hall in Nusa Jaya for Earth Hour party

Posted: 27 Mar 2013 03:07 AM PDT

LIYANA FIZI, Diandra Arjunaidi, Reza Salleh and Azlan and The Typewriter were some of the local acoustic singers and bands that serenaded thousands in dim lightings during a recent Earth Hour celebration here.

Perbadanan Pengangkutan Awam Iskandar Malaysia (PAIM) chief executive Mohd Gadaffie Abdul Aziz said the acoustic concert attracted thousands of visitors to the Medini Mall here in Nusajaya.

"The audience sang along and waved their glow-in-the-dark sticks throughout the concert which featured local artistes including two local bands known as Medinee and July and The Band," he said.

He added that dim lightings with minimum amount of voltage were used for the concert and other activities held during the Earth Hour.

"The mall's lights were turned off at sharp 8.30pm as part of the Earth Hour celebration nationwide.

"As an alternative, many restaurants used dim lightings and candles so that the patrons can continue to enjoy their meal before heading to the concert," he said.

Gadaffie also said that the crowd roamed around the mall with their glow-in-the-dark sticks and some even used candles.

"Before the concert, clowns, fire throwers, and even a kompang group entertained participants who joined a 2km family fun run around the mall," he said adding that about 50 people -both young and old, joined the evening run.

Meanwhile, Johor Economic Planning Uit (UPEN) development sector deputy director Dr. Badrul Hisham Kassim said the Earth Hour celebration at Medini Mall started in the morning with green environment related exhibition, awareness talks and even a recycling competition.

"Some 600 people joined the series of talks to learn about the importance of a greener world and how they play a major role in realising it," he said adding that six speakers conducted the talks organised by UPEN.

He also said that they received good support from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as well as from the government and private sectors, all of which had played their part in making the event a success.

"The response from the public was overwhelming and we hope to organise the consecutive 4th Earth Hour celebration next year at a different location with a similar or better crowd," he added.

UPEN environmental officer Ong Hwa Chong said a shadow performance by Soka Gakai Malaysia was carried out during the earth hour, right before the concert.

"Other than the family fun run, we also had an evening cycling event involving over 375 participants who cycled over 18km from Medini mall to Kota Iskandar and back to the mall," he added.

Throughout the day about 7,000 people thronged the mall to participate in a string of activities which was jointly organised by UPEN and PAIM on March 23.

GE13: The people of Tenggara constituency are happy with what they have now

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 08:47 PM PDT

KOTA TINGGI: Tucked between the districts of Kulaijaya and Kluang, the small town in the Tenggara parliamentary is a regular stopover for travelers who opt to use the trunk road to the area.

The hour-long journey from Johor Baru is dotted with Felda settlements and small villages together with countless make-shift stalls selling local favourite snacks such as goreng pisang (banana fritters), fresh fruits, traditional kuihs and also handicrafts.

With Gunung Panti Recreational Park, Gunung Muntahak and the Kota Tinggi Waterfall all in the vicinity of the constituency, the area is among the popular stops for domestic and international tourists.

Although the parliamentary constituency, made up of Panti and Pasir Raja state seats, has not changed much over the years, the locals are content about the existing amenities, wider roads, schools and places to shop.

However, there are rising concerns about snatch theft issues, youths moving out of the village to work elsewhere and development in the tourism sector.

According to Felda Sungai Sayong second generation Village Security and Development Committee chairman Jalil Md Tahir, the locals here are mostly made up of oil palm settlers - due the vast hectares of oil palm estates, and small and medium industries producing dried snacks and other food products.

He said there are four Felda settlements in Pasir Raja state seat alone, namely Felda Pasir Raja, Felda Sunga Sayong, Felda Bukit Besar and Felda Bukit Ramun.

"We are happy with what we have now. Take 10 or 20 years ago, travelling into the area was a very bumpy ride but now we have wide roads, a multipurpose hall and the good infrastructure in our villages, which is good enough for us.

"I think that the MP Datuk Halimah Sadique has been hardworking since taking over as member of parliament in 2008 and takes good care of us," he said.

The 53-year-old added that with the recent launch of the 1Malaysia People-Friendly Home in the Felda settlement, it added a more modern touch to the area.

"Many from the younger generation think that the villages are ageing and prefer to head to Kota Tinggi town or to Johor Baru to seek better job opportunities.

"This is a natural process but I think maybe the tourism sector can be further expanded and more of the youths can be trained to handle handicraft businesses or the food and beverage industry to cater to tourists who frequently visit the area," he said, adding that such opportunities would encourage the youths to stay in the villages.

Mother-of-two Nor Anita Hassan, 32, who moved to Felda Sungai Sayong after marrying her husband, was also happy with what the settlement offers but hopes for a basic healthcare centre or clinic to be set up there.

She said because of the settlement's strategic location, its main road is frequently used for those heading towards one of the tourist attractions.

"It is one of the better equipped Felda settlements in the area but I feel that there should be a clinic set up here.

"We have to travel to the next village in Felda Pasir Raja to go to the doctor and it is quite troublesome when we have no transport and have to carry my sick child to seek medical attention," she said.

For mechanic Fong Teck Shen, 28, leaving his village five years ago to search for better opportunities in Johor Baru was a norm for youths his age.

"There is not much for us to do at our village because of the small population.

"My friends and I wanted to venture into opening our own shop near our home in Desa Makmur but there are already a few well-known mechanics in the area.

"We did not see the point of competing with the old brand names for the small town crowd and felt that it was better to move out of the village to search for work," he said.

Fong suggested for the tourism industry to be further explored and younger and more creative programmes must be held in conjunction with the tourist attractions.

"This way, maybe more opportunities can be created for the youths here and they will not leave to look for jobs in the city or in Singapore," he added.

Taxi driver S. Kumaran, 52, from Taman Kota in Panti, said there were no major changes in the area in the past five years but the developments and changes were experienced little by little.

"We live a peaceful life here and we enjoy the laid-back village lifestyle.

"There is not much to ask for because our village is located just five minutes away from Kota Tinggi town where there are shopping centres and entertainment outlets there," he said.

Besides that, he noticed an increase of foreign workers from Bangladesh and Nepal working in the plantation and estates in the area.

Just a stone's throw away from Taman Kota, better known by the locals as Batu 2, lies a new housing area called Desa Sejahtera.

The residential area was built especially for the relocation of victims who were badly affected by the 2006-2007 major floods.

Kumaran jokingly said that the locals call the housing area as "rumah banjir" because of its purpose of build but commended the project for providing a better home for the victims who suffered heavy losses in the floods.

"Our area is located on a higher ground compared with other areas and we have no flooding woes as we are usually not affected.

"I always say that if Taman Kota experiences flooding, the whole of Kota Tinggi would be gone," he jibbed.

M. Dasan, 54, who owns a sundry shop in Taman Kota, hoped for more police patrol in the area as there has been frequent snatch thefts occurring there.

"Just last week, my wife fell victim to snatch theft and had her handbag stolen.

"My sister, who looks after my sundry shop, was also a victim where the thieves entered my shop to rob us," he said.

He also said that he rarely saw the police making rounds in the area.

"The thieves are getting more and more clever because once the police patrolling unit leaves, the thieves will come into action," he added.

He hoped that the police could step up their efforts and increase patrolling units in the area to restore a sense of security in the residents' minds.

Meanwhile, An Yuen Fatt, 50, who owns a durian plantation near Desa Makmur, hopes for more development in the area where people could come in to operate businesses and bring up the property value there.

"The area is populated by small villages and so far we only have sundry shops to buy daily products.

"This sleepy town will be booming if shophouses and places to shop are built to attract more people to move into the area.

"Tourists usually pass by the area to go to the waterfalls and there is good potential for businesses to start up here and slowly, the price of property in the area will be more valuable," he said.

An however, added that if the big developments take place, the area would lose its small-town charm some see as the main attraction of the place.

This general election, both the Barisan Nasional and the Opposition will be trying their best to woo the 38,276 voters in the area.

GE13: Opposition changes tune to gain popularity, says Mohamed Khaled

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 08:48 PM PDT

PASIR GUDANG: PKR's flip-flop stand on the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) project in Kuantan proved that the Opposition only favours populist decision.

The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on LAMP chairman Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin blasted the Opposition for changing its tune on the project when the Australian media interviewed their leader Datuk Ser Anwar Ibrahim.

He added that the Opposition only wants to politicise certain issues including LAMP just to gain political mileage and be popular among voters.

"First they were against the project but now it seems that they want the project to go on and their flip-flop stand on the LAMP project only creates confusion among the rakyat.

"The rakyat should realise that they are being taken on a ride by the Opposition," he said when met after attending SK Taman Rinting Parents Teachers Association meeting here recently.

Mohamed Khaled, who is also the Higher Education Minister, added that even PKR party leaders could not find a common ground on the matter.

"They cannot not reach an agreement with each other on the Lynas matter, yet they still harbour the plans to form the next Government.

"They want to raise the Lynas issue once more to give them the advantage in the general election," he said.

He stressed that the PSC have concluded that the Lynas plant was safe to operate in Kuantan.

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently told Australia's Sydney Morning Herald that if the Opposition managed to take over the Federal Government, he would fast track the inquiry but until then, he would move quickly to shut down the plant.

However, PKR vice-president Fuziah Salleh said Lynas should not be allowed to operate in Gebeng and instead move back to the Australian desert even if there was a 1% chance that the plant was proven to be unsafe.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Rabu, 27 Mac 2013