Half Indonesian Air Force operated

Only half of the Indonesian air force is in a serviceable state.


Air Force Chief of Staff Air Marshal Herman Prayitno said in Pontianak, West Kalimantan on the 27th that of the country's 250 war planes only half were fully operational, due to the difficulties Indonesia faces in procuring spare parts for military aircraft. Most of the spare parts shortages are experienced with planes manufactured in the United States.

source here

Anti-Malaysian Jingoism, and the missing Golden Rule

Being out of the country means there is often a substantial delay before one gets one’s news, especially those lower down the rungs of urgency. So it is that your author, doing his Sunday web browsing, typed in ‘Jakarta’ in the Google News search box, and belatedly discovered the latest round of the perennial Indonesia-Malaysia dispute.

From today’s Jakarta Globe:

Having a movement has taken on a totally new meaning in this country thanks to some nincompoops who see the brown-colored end product of the bodily function as a viable instrument for expressing patriotism.

I’m referring to the farcical incident last week where a group of demonstrators flung human feces at the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta.

I’d recommend reading the letter in full to get the whole picture. My initial reaction is that of despair, one I shared with the columnist, Mr. Siahaan — the lower elements in our society has again made a fool of all of us, with scant hope of anything positive coming out of this. One also thinks of similar xenophobic demonstrations in other countries whose political systems fall short of mature democracy — where such demonstrations are useful to let off steam, and to redirect resentment away from the ruling political class. After all, one could hardly imagine our own Parliament or National Palace be defaced in a similar way, with our national flag burned, without the perpetrators being severely dealt with.

It’s this double standard that, upon reflection, is the gist of my concern. Public display of fecal matter is a controversial topic — recall the New York controversy involving Chris Ofili’s painting of the Virgin Mary, even though in that context, the use is hardly derogatory, whereas in this case it certainly is. Not only insulting, but illegal — if defacing your neighbour’s property is illegal, defacing sovereign property is … I’m not a lawyer, but definitely a matter of foreign policy concern.

Compared to this, the flag-burning itself is less worrisome from a legal perspective, though equally troubling as a cultural phenomenon. After all, in most countries, only one’s own flag is sacrosanct from such acts of vandalism, and some more enlightened countries even protect the right of citizens to burn their own flag (kudos to the United States). Are we to be equated with the mobs of the Arab street, where US and Israeli flags, and effigies of their leaders, are periodically burned?

All the Abrahamic faiths, and many others, teach the Golden Rule:

“That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn.”

—Talmud, Shabbat 31a
Do to others as you want them to do to you.
—Bible, Luke 6:31a
“None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”
—An-Nawawi’s Forty Hadith 13 (p. 56)

As such, until we’re open-minded enough to see our public building defaced by a foreign mob, and our flag burned, we should not do so to others. The beauty of tolerance and mature rationality, of course, is that at that point in time we would not want to do it to others to begin with.

source:http://hircus.indonesiamatters.com/anti-malaysian-jingoism-and-the-missing-golden-rule-52/

One day the Indons will throw faeces to their flag and President. How rude...

Lagi Rintihan Tenaga Kerja Indonesia di Malaysia

Saya sudah cukup paham dengan media2 Indonesia…sudah lama saya amati…
Membuat saya marah dan benci pada media2 di dalam negeri sendiri…
Hanya pandai memprovokasi, kebanyakan awak jurnalisme kita hanya copy paste daripada yang lain ditambah bumbu2 sensasi…

Saya orang Indonesia, jujur pernah jadi TKI selama 6 tahun. Pahit manis telah saya telan ketika bekerja disana. Awal pertama datang kesana, saya memang punya ego yang besar dan ingin menunjukkan aku lebih hebat dari orang2 lokal (Malaysia). Tapi, lama2 saya mendapat pelajaran berharga. Bahwa sikap ramah tamah dan sopan santun yang mereka tawarkan pada saya dan kawan2 membuat kami luluh.

Para TKI seperti saya pada umumnya sangat nasionalis. Orang Indonesia memang terkenal nasionalisnya tinggi. Tapi, kalau nasionalis yang saya amati dan apa yang menghinggapi saya, ternyata adalah semu belaka. Ketika kita hanya berbangga-bangga dengan negara kita, nasionalis itu AKU banget. Sekedar bangga dan marah jika ada orang dari luar seskali berbuat salah kepada kita. Tapi, akhirnya saya sadar…Nasionalis itu apa yang harus kita berbuat untuk negara dengan arif dan bijaksana, lebih bijak menggunakan otak pikiran daripada emosi. Apa yang mesti kita perbuat untuk pembangunan negara kita menuju yang lebih baik.

Malaysia adalah negara yang menurut saya adalah negara Internasional. Anda bisa menemui orang2 dari berbagai penjuru dunia. Jadi, mereka sudah terbiasa dan kenal dengan watak2 dari pelbagai negara karena bukan saja mereka lihat orang2 asing dinegaranya, tapi mereka juga berkawan baik. Maka dari itu Malaysia adalah termasuk tempat favorite dari berbagai penjuru dunia. Karena, seakan-akan mereka diperlakukan sama dengan dengan warga negaranya sendiri.

Sebaliknya dengan kita, kita sehari-hari hanya sibuk dan berkenalan hanya dengan orang2 sekitar kita sesama Indonesia. Meski sebagian ada yang berteman dengan orang asing, tapi sangat2 sedikit sekali. Jadi, perbedaan Indonesia dengan Malaysia adalah…Kalau Malaysia negara yang orangnya lebih paham atas tabiat2 orang asing, sedangkan Indonesia bisa dikatakan hampir 99% buta terhadap tabiat2 orang asing, karena kebanyakan dari kita tidak bergaul sama sekali dengan orang2 dari berbagai penjuru dunia.

Jadi, penduduk Malaysia lebih punya rasa Internasionalis daripada kita. Sedangkan kita, lebih terkungkung/terkurung dalam sikap primodial kita. Jadi yang ada adalah, kita merasa lebih baik, lebih benar, dan sebagainnya dari orang asing tanpa mengetahui atau mengenal sama sekali orang lain tersebut. Jangankan dengan negara lain, antar RT saja bisa tawuran, antar sekolah, bahkan antar Universitas(sebenarnya ini paling memalukan di dunia-sebagai orang yang paling berpendidikan bisa berbuata konyol), antar suku dan lain2. Dan, ini jarang terjadi di negara lain….kecuali pada negara yang masih punya peradaban yang rendah.

Dalam permasalahan dengan Malaysia, kenapa kita masyarakat luas bisa terpancing emosi. Kenapa kalau yang TIDAK EMOSI dikatakan tidak nasionalis?Saya mau tanya pada orang2 yang emosi, seberapa banyak anda mengetahui, mengerti sampai mengenal mereka??Jawabanya adalah…BUTA….

Anda hanya tau info tentang Malaysia hanya sebatas dari Media2 lokal kita. Anda tau Media2 kita tersebut? sebagian mereka adalah awak jurnalisme yang mencari penghasilan dengan cara yang mudah, mengangkat tema2 yang mengundang sensai, aji mumpung(copy paste ajalah dari pada susah payah cari sendiri), keakuratannya sangat rendah, tidak pandai membawa pembaca/masyarakat kearah yang lebih baik alias kurang mendidik, dan yang jelas Media kita adalah salah satu MESIN PROVOKATOR terbaik didunia bagi masyarakat Indonesia.

Ini tak heran, kenapa jika kita mendengar sebuah perkataan saja “Malaysia”. Banyak yang langsung berpikiran negatif. Tanya kenapa? karena kita telah di “cuci otak” oleh media2 kita. Contoh: Kasus TKI, Perebutan Pulau, dll…

Mari kita telaah baik2…
Sebagai pengalaman saya sebagai TKI yang cukup lama, saya sendiri sempat tidak betah di Malaysia. Bukan karena saya disiksa atau tidak dihargai, atau diperlakukan semena-mena. Bahkan, saya dan teman2 yang jumlahnya ratusan tersebut merasa puas dengan perlakuan Negara Malaysia dan warga negaranya karena diperlakukan adil dan tidak dibeda-bedakan. Ketika media2 kita asyik dengan provokasinya2, waktu disana…saya berinisiatif untuk tanya kepada orang2 Indonesia yang jadi TKI disana. Mulai dari teman2 saya sampai TKI yang saya jumpai dijalan.

Pertanyaannya adalah, “Bagaimana anda bekerja disini?” “Apakah Malaysia tidak adil kepada anda?” “Kerasan atau tidak?” dsb…Coba apa yang saya dapatkan jawabanya dari mereka? Ternyata semua yang saya temui waktu itu merasa puas terhadap perlakuan “Malaysia”. Bahkan, sebagian dari para TKI tersebut berani berkata “Saya diperlakukan lebih adil disini(Malaysia), daripada dinegerinya sendiri”.

Lalu pertanyaannya adalah, Kenapa diMalaysia terjadi begitu banyak kasus2 para TKI? mulai dari penyiksaan, sampai kasus hukuman mati. Saya, jujur sebagai mantan TKI yang pernah kerja disana, juga turut bersedih jika ada siksaan dsb…Tapi, anda perlu tau. Itu tidak mencerminkan seluruh TKI diperlakukan kejam. TKI yang disiksa hanyalah gak ada seujung kuku dari jumlah keseluruhan TKI disana. Kejahatan bisa terjadi dimana-mana…Bahkan saya sering lihat di media2 kita yang mengabarkan pembantu disiram air panas, dipukul, sampai dibunuh di media2 kita. Lihat saja tv2 kita pada saat menayangkan berita kriminal.

So, Hampir semua TKI yang saya temui merasa hepy disana. Maka tak heran banyak yang sudah pulang kampung memutuskan untuk pergi kesana lagi. Bahkan, dengan cara ilegal sekalipun. Meski mereka tau kalau ilegal jika tertangkap hukumannya berat.

Dalam memberitakan masalah TKI, media kita pun tidak fair. Ini saya maklumi, karena awak media kita memang kurang mengenal mereka. Jadi, pemberitaan lebih membenarkan sepihak, yaitu pada kita sendiri tanpa perlu mengetaui pokok permasalahannya. Ibarat karena nila setitik rusak susu sebelanga. Karena kejahatan satu dua orang kita menghakimi seluruh rakyat Malaysia jahat. Oke, saya tanya pada diri dan anda semua, Pernahkah kita diajari “Comparasion/perbandingan” pada pelajaran matematika disekolah. So, berapa banyak orang TKI yang bekerja disana baik legal maupun ilegal? jawabanya adalah jutaan….anda akan mudah menemui orang indonesia disana, semudah anda menemui orang lokal(Malaysia). Dan, bandingkan dengan orang yang disiksa disana…Maka, orang yang mengatakan “Malaysia Kejam” terhadap TKI…saya harap anda buka lagi deh buku pelajaran matematikannya SD.

Lagi, kenapa disana banyak TKI yang kena kasus, mulai dari ilegal, sampai kriminalitas. Jawabanya adalah, kembali pada TKI tersebut. Orang Indonesia mencuri atau merampok,menjambret, menodong, memperkosa,melacur, membuat suasana kumuh, sampai membunuh , dsb…seperti pemberitaan hal yang biasa disana. Dan, pada pengalaman saya sendiri, berapa banyak asrama saya kemalingan…Lagi2 dilakukan oleh orang Indonesia, tawur(kalo tdk tawur tidak friend) dan masalah2 sepele lainnya.
Sebenarnya saya mau tulis komen sedikit, tapi ini dah terlalu panjang. Mungkin saya mau buat tulisan sendiri di kompasiana ini nanti..
Salam kenal mbak Wening, selamat belajar dan tolong ajak teman2 sesama pelajar ataupun para TKI disana menulis sesuatu yang benar dan adil tentang Malaysia untuk menangkis KEJAHATAN MEDIA2 KITA..kasian rakyat kita sudah mabuk karena provokasi mereka dan diombang-ambingkan oleh tulisan2 BUTA mereka. Karena, pada saat ini dinegara kita, orang bisa menulis apa saja tanpa mau mempertimbangkan sebab dan akibat. Yang terpenting adalah demi perutnya dirinya sendiri. Naudzu billah….

Rintihan Pelajar Indonesia di Malaysia

Salam dari Kami, Pelajar Indonesia yang Menuntut Ilmu di Malaysia.

Sebelumnya perkenalkan, saya adalah salah satu dari belasan ribu anak bangsa yang sedang menuntut ilmu di negeri sebrang yaitu Malaysia. Sudah hampir 3tahun saya belajar di Malaysia, tahun depan adalah tahun terakhir saya menuntut ilmu disini. Saya hanya sekedar ingin berbagi cerita kepada rekan-rekan sekalian tentang bagaimana kami disini.

Sejak pertama saya datang ke Malaysia, saya tidak pernah mendapatkan perlakuan yang tidak baik dari teman-teman disini, baik itu oleh sesama warga Negara Indonesia, warga Negara Malaysia ataupun oleh warga Negara Asing lainnya. Atas kejadian yang sedang terjadi saat ini terhadap Indonesia dan Malaysia, saya merasa prihatin. Mengapa? Karena banyak orang yang berkomentar di media dengan mempertanyakan kami para pelajar Indonesia di sini. Bukan mempertanyakan keselamatan kami melainkan mereka mempertanyakan dimana rasa Nasionalis kami dan rasa peduli kami terhadap Bangsa Indonesia. Mereka bertanya “Mengapa kami memilih Malaysia untuk tempat kami belajar disaat masih banyak Universitas berkualitas di Indonesia yang dapat memberikan banyak ilmu kepada kami?”

Jawaban dari saya pribadi adalah, memang benar masih banyak Universitas terkemuka di Indonesia yg menjanjikan untuk kita. Tapi sekarang, apalah arti dari sebuah nama Universitas terkemuka itu. Mungkin dulu, kalau kita bisa diterima menjadi salah seorang mahasiswa disana, perasaan bangga akan muncul karena kita dapat dikategorikan kedalam jajaran mahasiswa-mahasiswa dengan prestasi yang tinggi. Tapi sekarang? Dengan semakin banyaknya Ujian Saringan Masuk yang mengharuskan kita untuk memberikan Dana Sumbangan Pembangunan sebesar mungkin agar menjamin kita untuk dapat diterima di universitas tersebut, apalah arti dari prestasi kita? Banyak pelajar berprestasi tapi dia tidak bisa diterima oleh Universitas terkemuka hanya karena dia tidak dapat memenuhi standar Dana Sumbangan Pembangunan. Sungguh disayangkan sekali. Karena itu saya memutuskan untuk mengambil pendidikan diluar Indonesia.

Tapi mengapa harus Malaysia? Karena letak geografis Malaysia masih dekat dengan Indonesia, dan dengan budaya yang hampir sama akan memudahkan saya untuk bisa beradaptasi dengan lingkungan baru. Ada salah satu komentar di salah satu artikel yang mengatakan bahwa kami pelajar-pelajar Indonesia di Malaysia itu adalah pelajar-pelajar yang hanya sok ingin menuntut ilmu di luar negeri tapi dengan modal nanggung tidak seperti mereka-mereka yang belajar sampai ke Eropa. YA! Memang benar biaya juga menjadi salah satu alasan saya dan keluarga saya memilih Malaysia. Dengan biaya yang hampir sama dengan “Dana Sumbangan Pembangunan” Universitas terkemuka di Indonesia, saya bisa sekolah disini dengan mendapatkan poin plus yaitu belajar lebih mandiri dan mendapat banyak teman baru dari mancanegara. Dan saya pun bisa mendapatkan kesempatan untuk memperkenalkan Indonesia lebih jauh lagi. Sungguh disayangkan mengapa mereka-mereka yang mengaku sedang menuntut Ilmu di Eropa malah mempunyai pikiran sedangkal itu. Apalah gunanya anda berbangga hati dengan apa yg sedang anda lakukan skrg di Eropa tapi tidak dibarengi dengan pola pikir yang baik?

Ada lagi yang mengatakan, bahwa kami tidak mempunyai rasa Nasionalis karena kami hanya berdiam diri tidak memberikan pembelaan terhadap petugas Dinas Kelautan dan Perikanan Indonesia yang ditangkap oleh Polisi Diraja Malaysia. Mereka menanyakan, mengapa kami diam saja? Mengapa kami tidak berdemo ke Polisi Diraja Malaysia untuk segera membebaskan 3 petugas DKP yg ditahan? Saya menjadi bingung. Itukah yang orang-orang Indonesia harapkan dari kami yg sedang berada disini? Apakah berdemo akan menyelesaikan masalah? Masalah perbatasan laut Indonesia dan Malaysia itu sudah cukup lama terjadi dan sampai sekarang belum juga menemui penyelesaian yg jelas. Biarlah para petinggi-petinggi dari kedua negara yang meyelesaikan masalah itu. Janganlah kita mudah terprovokasi oleh keadaan tanpa mengetahui seluk beluk permasalahan secara jelas. Berpikir pintar dan bertindak bijak akan sangat membantu kita semua untuk keluar dari semua permasalahan ini dibandingkan dengan hanya adu otot.

Belum sampai disitu, hujatan masih terus menghampiri kami pelajar Indonesia yang ada di Malaysia. Di salah satu artikel ada yang mengatakan “Kalian gak usah pulang aja! Kita-kita di Indonesia nggak butuh kalian yang tidak mempunyai rasa bangga terhadap Negara sendiri” begitulah kira-kira kalimatnya. Itu semua salah besar! Dari mana mereka bisa berpendapat seperti itu tanpa mengetahui apa yg telah kami lakukan disini? Sekedar informasi, saya dan teman-teman saya yg berada di Malaysia baru saja melaksanakan peringatan kemerdekaan Indonesia yang ke 65 di kampus saya. Kami diberikan izin untuk mengibarkan sang saka Merah Putih diiringi lagu kebangsaan Indonesia Raya. Tidak hanya warga Indonesia yg kami undang untuk merayakan kemerdekaan kita, kami juga mengundang teman-teman kami yg berasal dari berbagai macam Negara,termasuk rekan-rekan kami dari Malaysia. Sekarang saya berani bertanya kepada anda pelajar Indonesia yang sedang berada di Tanah Air. Dimana kalian pada saat tanggal 17 Agustus kemarin? Apa yang anda lakukan untuk mengisi peringatan kemerdekaan kita kemarin? Menikmati “tanggal merah” dengan jalan-jalan ke Mall? Atau menikmati “tanggal merah” dengan bersantai dirumah? Sekarang masih maukah anda mengatakan bahwa kami tidak mempunyai rasa bangga terhadap negeri kami sendiri?

Jika saya harus menjelaskan satu-satu disini apa saja yang telah saya dan teman-teman saya lakukan di Malaysia untuk mengharumkan nama bangsa Indonesia, mungkin tidak akan cukup berpuluh-puluh ribu karakter lagi untuk saya agar dapat menjelaskan semuanya. Jadi saya mohon kepada teman-teman semua yang berada di Indonesia, tolong janganlah anda semua dengan mudahnya menuding kami dengan pernyataan yang anda pun belum tentu tahu akan kebenarannya. Juga terhadap media yang ada di Indonesia agar lebih selektif lagi dalam menyaring berita yang akan dikonsumsi oleh publik. Janganlah kalian membuat berita yang hanya dapat menyulut amarah dan menjadikan provokasi diantara kita semua. Kami disini akan terus berusaha semampu kami untuk tetap mengarumkan nama bangsa Indonesia agar kami bisa dengan bangga mengatakan “I am Indonesian!”.

Bravo Neng, gue tabik sama lu.

Nelayan Malaysia di Peras Ugut di Indonesia

Mungkin berita ini tidak di pamerkan di dada akhbar Malaysia . Baca di sini;

Jakarta - 3 Petugas Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan (KKP) dan 7 nelayan Malaysia masing-masing telah dibebaskan. Namun ada sedikit data terungkap soal pembebasan ini. Berdasarkan laporan polisi Malaysia yang beredar, niat pertukaran datang dari KKP.

"Ketika dalam perjalanan pulang ke Tanjung Pengelih, ketua botronda PC 9 (kapal patroli Malaysia) memaklumkan kepada pegawai bertugas Marin Tampoi bahwa Ketua Botronda Perikanan Indonesia dikenali dengan nama Harmanto telah menalipon salah seorang anggotanya Erwan Masdar yang sedang ditahan oleh PC 9 supaya membuat pertukaran krew/taikong bot nelayan Malaysia dengan 3 anggotanya," tulis dokumen polisi Malaysia yang beredar di kalangan wartawan Sabtu (4/9/2010).

Dokumen 10 halaman itu berkop Markas Pasukan Gerakan Marin Polis Diraja Malaysia wilayah Johor. Tertanggal 15 Agustus 2010 dan ditandatangani Kalaichelvan Nadarajah Timbalan Komander Pasukan Gerakan Marin Wilayah 2 Polisi Diraja Malaysia 81200 Tampoi Johor.

Sebelumnya mengenai pertukaran ini ramai dibahas di Indonesia. Kritik mengalir bahwa Indonesia bersikap lemah sehingga mau melakukan pertukaran.

"Walau bagaimanapun pihak Pasukan Gerakan Marin tidak setuju. Pihak marin mengambil tindakan mengikut peraturan dan perundangan," tulis laporan itu menjawab permintaan pertukaran tawanan petugas KKP.

Dokumen ini sudah beredar sejak 2 pekan lalu. Dalam dokumen juga dituliskan kalau polisi Malaysia berhasil menyelamatkan 8 nelayan dan sejumlah kapal miliknya dari penangkapan petugas Indonesia. Mereka juga yakin penangkapan petugas Indonesia dilakukan di wilayah Malaysia.

Berita sebelumnya;


Jakarta - Beredar laporan mengejutkan milik Malaysia mengenai ulah oknum petugas Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan (KKP). Dalam dokumen berkop Markas Pasukan Gerakan Marin Polis Diraja Malaysia wilayah Johor itu tertulis laporan bahwa oknum petugas Indonesia memeras nelayan Malaysia.

Dalam dokumen yang beredar di kalangan wartawan ini, Sabtu (4/9/2010) dituliskan oknum yang diduga petugas KKP yang menangkap nelayan Malaysia itu meminta uang 3.500 Ringgit Malaysia. Permintaan uang itu dikirimkan melalui SMS kepada salah seorang keluarga nelayan Malaysia yang ditangkap bernama En Booh AH Cio.

"Tolong kirim RM 1.000 untuk Taikong Melayu, untuk 3 orang Cina RM 2.500. Jadi semua RM 3.500. Kirim lewat Western UNion atas nama Harun no KTP 217107170865xxxx alamat Tanjung Playu Sel Beduk, Batam, Ok?" demikian isi SMS itu.

Nah, dalam laporan setebal 10 halaman itu, dengan dasar isi SMS tersebut polisi Malaysia mengklaim warganya diculik dan diperas. Laporan ditandatangani Kalaichelvan Nadarajah, timbalan komander Pasukan Gerakan Marin Wilayah 2 Polisi Diraja Malaysia.

"En Booh mengesyaki (menduga) SMS tersebut telah dihantar oleh seorang pegawai pemguatkuasa perikanan Indonesia yang telah menahan abangnya bernama Boh Kee Soo," tulis laporan polisi Malaysia.

Laporan pihak Malaysia itu dibuat pada 15 Agustus 2010 dan ditujukan kepada Eldiran Husawny di Wisma Putra Kuala Lumpur, yang menangani desk Indonesia.

Sebelumnya Menteri KKP Fadel Muhammad pernah ditanyakan mengenai dugaan pemerasan oleh naka buahnya. Saat itu, tegas-tegas Fadel membantahnya, namun dia mengaku akan melakukan penyelidikan.

"Tidak ada, tidak ada. Kecurigannya besar seperti itu. Kita telusuri," kata Menteri Kelautan dan Perikanan Fadel Muhammad usai diskusi di Warung Daun, Jl Cikini Raya, Jakpus, pada Sabtu (21/8/2010).

Rupa nya polis di Indon sesukaan mengambil uang dari Malaysia. Bapak bapak di sana ngak cukup uang ya, mari lah bekerja sebagai TKI di Malaysia. 
Para demostrans juga di upah Rp 100,000, nah kalo gitu kita ayuh kita ke Malaysia cari makan.Sebulan gajinya Rp 3 Juta.  

Malaysia's first man in space

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AP) — Russian spacecraft soared from the Kazakh steppe on Wednesday with a crew of three headed for the International Space Station, including Malaysia's first man in space and an American who is to be the first woman to command the orbital outpost.
The Soyuz-FG rocket lifted off on schedule, rising into a darkening sky over the Russian-operated Baikonur launch facility. It was topped by a spacecraft that is to deliver U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson, veteran Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, a Malaysian physician, to the space station Friday.

AUDIO: Hear the liftoff of the Soyuz rocket
Whitson, of Beaconsfield, Iowa, is making her second trip to the station and is to become its first female commander. Sheikh Muszaphar, a 35-year-old orthopedic surgeon, is to spend about 10 days on the station, performing experiments involving diseases and the effects of microgravity and space radiation on cells and genes.
Applause broke out among space officials and other onlookers after the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft shed its rocket stages and entered orbit. Sheikh Muszaphar's parents watched the liftoff from an observation area, praying and in tears.

Free Education in Malaysia

Budget 2008: Schooling will be totally free in Malaysia, says PM

The prime minister unveiled a generous Budget 2008 yesterday that will bring cheer to the man in the street as well as the business sector.

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, tabling the budget in parliament, announced free education and textbooks for all school-goers starting from next year’s session.

He also floated a RM9.6 billion measure to enable millions of Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) contributors to draw on their savings to reduce their housing loan repayments.

With free education, the annual fee for primary and secondary schools will be abolished from next year. At the same time, the Textbook Loan Scheme will be provided to all students. Abdullah, who is also Finance Minister said: "With these measures, schooling in Malaysia is now completely free."

more

Congratulations Malaysia

DOING THEIR PART: Some of the participants of this year's Merdeka parade taking a break after rehearsals at Dataran Merdeka yesterday. From the almost-perfect routine, it looks like all the participants are happy to be taking part in the 50th Merdeka Day parade

Russian technique saves man's left hand

The Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) here may have received
some negative publicity lately but a 19-year-old youth has only gratitude
for doctors at the hospital.



S. Sri Devan was told that his hand would have to be amputated.

His hand was crushed in an accident on April 8 when his car hit a lamp post while trying to avoid a motorcycle.

"I was devastated when doctors at three private and public hospitals told me that nothing could be done to save my hand," said Sri Devan, a clerk.

However, his family refused to accept the doctors’ diagnoses and took him to HTAR.
Doctors at the HTAR performed five surgeries over the last three months and successfully used the Ilizarov technique, a Russian deformity rectification procedure, to treat his hand.

The method involved the installation of a circular fixator which provides structural support on the limb while allowing the soft tissue and bone to unite.

Today, Sri Devan’s left hand is both intact and functioning, except for his last two fingers which are still being treated.

"I’m so grateful to doctors at HTAR who persisted while others gave up," he said.

Sri Devan, who still wears the fixator on his arm, hopes to regain full use of his entire hand soon.

Malaysian Needs More Research Universities

The pic shows Datuk Mustapa Mohamed trying on a virtual reality helmet which helps in the treatment of fear of heights.

The government wants more public universities to work towards attaining research university status.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said yesterday this would be good for the nation.Earlier this month, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia were given the status."I know that universities outside the four are very keen on getting this status," Mustapa said after officiating the inaugural International Exposition of Research and Inventions of Institutions of Higher Learning (Pecipta) 2007 organised by the ministry at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

This is good suggestion that the university could excel in every aspects of discipline. I hope they don't produce Professor Kangkong (nut prof.). They should be innovative, creative and dynamic ; preach what you teach.

more

Malaysian Astronauts Bring Local Foods to Space

The two Malaysian astronauts, Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar and Dr. Faiz Khaleed paid a visit to MARDI to take part in sensory evaluation tests of several Malaysian foods. The foods developed by a team of MARDI scientists had to meet the highest standards of food safety and nutrition as well as be suitable for the unique conditions (microgravity) of the International Space Station (ISS). Similar tests will later be conducted in space by the astronaut and the results compared. It is hoped that an understanding of taste perceptions under microgravity and on earth can be obtained.

The list of Malaysian food developed:

Chicken satay
Beef Rendang
Pressed Chicken Briyani Rice
Banana Fruit Roll
Dehydrated Mango Slice
Confectionery Ginger Jelly
Roselle Granola Bar
Oven Baked Malaysian Cookie (Kuih Bangkit)
Fried Tempeh Chips

more pics

Malaysians have taken to online social networking

The highest traffic volume to one of the world’s leading social networking sites, friendster.com, comes from Malaysia. Friendster.com is also the second most visited site in Malaysia next to yahoo.com. Out of the 13.5 million Internet users in Malaysia, 3.1 million are registered on Friendster. The site, the 17th largest in the world, was founded in California in 2002.With 44 million members worldwide, the site allows users to set up their personal profiles, which can either be accessed by anyone or by a select group of friends.
Users can make new friends, find old ones or locate activity partners and dates through the site.Users can email each other over Friendster, which also allows them to share photos, post bulletins, videos, and blog. Friendster Inc marketing and public relations director Jeff Roberto said according to Alexa.com, a website that provides information on web traffic, Friendster’s traffic breakout is: 22.4 per cent Malaysia; 21.8 per cent Philippines, 20 per cent Singapore; 12.7 per cent Indonesia; and six per cent United States."It is ranked the number one site in the Philippines, and number two in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia."The majority of users, about 55 per cent, are women. This pattern is the same all over the world. I think it’s probably because women are more social than men."The Asia user base is mostly 16 to 30-year-olds," he told the New Straits Times.Roberto said Asia currently accounts for over 70 per cent of total daily traffic to Friendster. It represents some 150 million daily page views and over four billion monthly page views.Asked why Friendster is bigger in Asia than in the West, Roberto said users in this part of the world are younger and tend to keep their pages open for viewing."Their profiles are open so there is more activity. We are also the first to enter this region."

source:http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/Frontpage/20070612073117/Article/index_html

Islamic Capital Market

Islamic Capital Market The Islamic Capital Market (ICM) refers to the market where capital market activities are carried out in ways that do not conflict with the conscience of Muslims and the religion of Islam. Transactions are free from the elements such as usury (riba), gambling (maisir) and ambiguity (gharar). The ICM has functioned as a parallel market to the conventional capital market for capital seekers and providers, and has played a complementary role to the Islamic banking system in broadening and deepening the Islamic financial markets in Malaysia. Today, Bursa Malaysia has the largest Islamic products listed as compared to exchanges in other Islamic countries.

source:http://www.klse.com.my/website/bm/products_and_services/islamic_capital_market.html

What a pity-Elephant hit by train

An elephant crossing a railway line in Bekok early yesterday sustained two broken hind legs when it was hit by a train in Johor. The impact of the collision flung the animal, believed to be 10 years old and weighing about a tonne, into a 15m ravine near the tracks.

Wildlife and National Parks Department officers and doctors from the Veterinary Services Department were trying to save the elephant, which was reported to be in critical condition.


The elephant lying by the side of the tracks was fed sugarcane while awaiting aid from Wildlife Department officers and doctors from the Veterinary Services Department (pic)

Junita Mat Rashid http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/National/20070527073731/Article/index_html

Malaysia Becoming Number One Halal Producers

The 4th Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS 2007) and the World Halal Forum (WHF 2007) to be held here in May will play their role in providing the appropriate platform to showcase Malaysia's halal industry.

A major trade exposition, last year's MIHAS saw 392 companies from 17 countries participating while 216 foreign buyers representing 164 companies, took part in the business matching sessions.

In this context, she said the WHF 2007, would bring together individuals from the private sector to deliberate upon issues related to the halal market and the application of halal standards and accreditation.

A two-day forum would discuss the challenges and business opportunities with important topics such as manufacturing, science, research, logistics, investment models, halal market growth and also the global halal standards.

GO HALAL.

Malaysia Today

Technorati Profile
For those who would like to read an independent news can do so http://www.malaysia-today.net/index.shtml

Agriculture in Malaysia

It has been a long way for Malaysia to be self sufficiency in agriculture. Although Malaysia has produced a lot of rubber, oil palm and cocoa but many had still in the pipe-line need to be export orientated. We still import a lot of foods and food-related products even these produces could be produced in the country.For example we still import a lot of corn,rice,sugar, wheat related products,fruits etc. There are ample of land that need to be cultivated and used profitably. I see there are possibilities of how Malaysia could become a giant food exporter in the world. There are a few things that need to be considered thoroughly.

1. Through research and development of the upbringing the products from farm to consumers. There should an aggressive drive by the relate parties in planting let such say promising fruits clones, good infrastructure like cold rooms, cold storage,roads,etc. Research should not be done in bits-and-pieces, meaning they should tackled from and at all angles brainstormed by a special committee left and right in more concerted way. Spend more time on planning rather that quick-result implementations.

2. Marketing of agricultural goods. I could tell you that from my experiences that the government did not bother much about the welfare of the farmers.This is because agricultural goods are sold at below par price from the market simply the quality is not good- no cold rooms, marketing outlet- although there is a marketing body to handle market- they still could not cope the problems which are fundamental e.g not enough staffs, facilities, etc. They just are just gov. officers; they be improve if the organization is privatise and run in a corporate way.

3.Transfer of technology. This things has been going on years and years.I can tell you that the experienced and progressived farmers are far better knowledge. There is only one program in the TV per week repeated twice.No popular agriculture magazines (except Chinese) to be read by all although there is one or two last time.

4.Commitment by the people- politicians especially. They should help every people who likes or interested in agriculture.Talking is not enough. I see now many 'big brothers' that benefit from the government but what about poor pak cik and mak cik in the kampungs left abandon without notice. This is true the government did not find alternative for them. Agriculture projects should be balance with urbanization because if this thing is not been considered properly there would be a big gap between the rich and poor .

5.Ethnic commitment. Malaysia is made of 3 main races. Malay,Chinese and Indians.What I observe it that produces made by the Malays are below price than their Chinese counterparts particularly the Chinese had their marketing outlet at the hypermarkets and big markets.Being true Malaysians this should be.For after 50 years of independent this should NOT be. Back to basics. Come on.

6. Ruler's Project. There are many rulers in Malaysia. What I see that they are very 'far' from the people.Unlike Thailand, the King had his own agricultural projects and I have have been to some of the projects .These projects are to solve hardcore problems such as turning drug traffics areas and drug-producing crops to fruit growing and tourism destinations.We should learn and follow what is good. Do more for the people.

7. Land banks and policy. The government should keep tracts of all land used and not used at every levels from state, districts, villages for agriculture. Land allocated for agriculture not should not be easily converted into housing or industrial lands without replacing new lands. Somebody should trace which land is not been used and the database is updated monthly. The policy is that every inch of land should utilized without being left idle. The land owners should given a notice if his /her land is not been cultivated for agriculture and summons should be sent if they don't work on it otherwise they should let other people to do for them.

Zainudin@2007

Monkey Deodorant Smells Sweet

What may be the most natural cologne in the world was recently discovered in a Mexican forest. The ingredients? Monkey spit and chewed up leaves.

According to a paper in this month's issue of the journal Primates, male Mexican spider monkeys chew the leaves of three aromatic plants: the Alamos pea tree, which has fragrant leaves and flowers, a flowering trumpet tree, and wild celery.

The ritual, which typically takes anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes, was deemed monkey "self-anointing" by Matthias Laska, a professor of zoology at Linkoping University in Sweden.

Laska and his colleagues observed the behavior 20 times in two male spider monkeys that were part of a free-ranging group at the Parque de Flora y Fauna Silvestra Tropical in Veracruz, Mexico.

The researchers determined the monkeys always applied just one plant species at a time. The application was routine, not unlike a man who regularly spritzes on deodorant or cologne.

"In the majority of cases, the arm that did not hold the scent-bearing material was held high or grabbed a branch above the animal," Laska and his team wrote.

While this is the first reported case of such behavior in wild Mexican spider monkeys, similar routines have been spotted among both male and female capuchin monkeys, owl monkeys, other spider monkeys and lemurs. In most of these cases, the scientists speculated that the leaf mash might have been used to mitigate topical skin infections or repel bugs.

Laska and his team, however, found that of the plants used by the Mexican spider monkeys, only wild celery is known to have insect-repelling compounds and anti-fungal properties. The other plants simply smell good.

The scientists, therefore, concluded that self-anointing "may play a role in the context of social communication, possibly for signaling of social status or to increase sexual attractiveness."

In other words, monkeys could do it for the same basic reasons people use cologne.

While the chemistry behind this remains a mystery, the odors may mimic those of fragrant, naturally occurring primate steroids, which are presumed to act as sex-stimulating pheromones. Laska conducted an earlier study that found spider monkeys are particularly gifted at sniffing out such scents.

But not all monkeys want to smell like flowers and celery.

Mary Baker, assistant professor of anthropology at Rhode Island College, observed capuchin monkeys applying citrus and tobacco leaf mashes to their bodies.

Christina Campbell, a scientist at the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at the University of California at Los Angeles, observed the same behavior in black-handed spider monkeys in Panama.

Campbell told Discovery News that "in general, I agree with the (new) findings," but she hasn't yet ruled out other possible reasons for scent rubbing.

"I think the behavior may be some kind of signaling, although I am not convinced," she said. "I also wonder whether it may function to stimulate or clean the gland that they rub the plant mixture on."

Laska hopes future studies will resolve such questions about the fragrant ritual.

source:Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006

No takers for Mardi's end-products

CHEWY fruit strips, herbs with health properties and superior animal feed. These are only some of the products which the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) has developed, but not many people know about them.

The reason? Many of these products remain in the laboratory instead of reaching end users as they do not get commercialised and patented.

Mardi’s mission is "to develop and promote leading-edge technologies for the advancement of food and agriculture industries" but what good is research if there are no takers for the end-products?

The institute’s director-general Dr Abdul Shukor Abdul Rahman said Mardi’s three main outputs were products, processes and information.

However, these have to be innovated or they would be worthless to the end-user.

"The value chain of bringing in any findings from the laboratory to the table starts with research, development and commercialisation," he said.

Under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, Mardi will receive continuous funding from the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry for its research and development.

In 2006 alone, RM125 million was allocated for 85 projects. Mardi also gets funding from the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, totalling some RM45 million last year.

With more than 95 products and technologies ready to be commercialised and another 71 which have the potential for commercialisation, it would seem that it is indeed money well spent.

However, very few of the products developed by Mardi have been patented and commercialised.

One example is the transgenic papaya — Mardi’s solution for the devastating papaya virus problem (Papaya ringspot virus) which has plagued papaya plantations around the world.

Unfortunately, the transgenic papaya is still confined to the greenhouse and is not allowed to be grown outside as it is awaiting biosafety clearance.

So, just how much of Mardi’s technology has actually been patented?

Abdul Shukor admitted that gaining property rights was important but the patenting process took a long time — five to six years.

Furthermore, he said, patenting a product was not under Mardi’s jurisdiction but it had to go through Sirim which was the patent agent.

"Also, it is very costly to get a product patented overseas but the government has already taken that into consideration."

Over the past 10 years, Mardi has put in 14 applications to have its products or technology patented.

Out of these, one has been granted and one has been rejected while the others are still pending.

Abdul Shukor said Mardi would apply for more patents in the future, not just in Malaysia, but in other countries where he felt that their products could be "duplicated or copied".

Products which have yet to be patented are being value-added to ensure they are competitive enough for the international market.

Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers vice-president Datuk Paul Low said one of the reasons behind the lack of takers for Mardi’s inventions was that most local agriculture-based manufacturers were very small companies.

"To my knowledge, there are not that many agriculture-based players in Malaysia with enough funding to commercialise Mardi’s inventions, except for the government," he said.

Low said big, multinational companies like Nestle had their own research division and did not need to rely on Mardi.

"Research must be done in collaboration with the industry. The end-products must have the potential for commercialisation. If not, nobody would want to take it."

Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) senior patent examiner Kamal Kormin said it takes a long time to grant patents because patent examiners had to do a worldwide check to see if anybody else had patented the product or technology.

Source :NST (7th January 2007)

Vertical Farming

The Problem

By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use (sources: FAO and NASA). Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to avoid this impending disaster?

A Potential Solution: farm vertically

The concept of indoor farming is not new, since hothouse production of tomatoes, a wide variety of herbs, and other produce has been in vogue for some time. What is new is the urgent need to scale up this technology to accommodate another 3 billion people. An entirely new approach to indoor farming must be invented, employing cutting edge technologies. The Vertical Farm must be efficient (cheap to construct and safe to operate). Vertical farms, many stories high, will be situated in the heart of the world's urban centers. If successfully implemented, they offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (year-round crop production), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.


It took humans 10,000 years to learn how to grow most of the crops we now take for granted. Along the way, we despoiled most of the land we worked, often turning verdant, natural ecozones into semi-arid deserts. Within that same time frame, we evolved into an urban species, in which 60% of the human population now lives vertically in cities. This means that, for the majority, we humans are protected against the elements, yet we subject our food-bearing plants to the rigors of the “great outdoors” and can do no more than hope for a good weather year. However, more often than not now, due to a rapidly changing climate regime, that is not what follows. Massive floods, protracted droughts, class 4-5 hurricanes, and severe monsoons take their toll each year, destroying millions of tons of valuable crops. Don’t our harvestable plants deserve the same level of “comfort” and protection that we now enjoy? The time is at hand for us to learn how to safely grow our food inside environmentally controlled multistory buildings within urban centers. If we do not, then in just another 50 years, the next 3 billion people will surely go hungry, and the world will become a much more unpleasant place in which to live.
Advantages of Vertical Farming
Year-round crop production; 1 indoor acre is equivalent to 4-6 outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop (e.g., strawberries: 1 indoor acre = 30 outdoor acres)
No weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods, pests
All VF food is grown organically: no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers
VF virtually eliminates agricultural runoff by recycling black water
VF returns farmland to nature, restoring ecosystem functions and services
VF greatly reduces the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface
VF converts black and gray water into potable water by collecting the water of
evapotranspiration
VF adds energy back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible
parts of plants and animals
VF dramatically reduces fossil fuel use (no tractors, plows, shipping.)
VF converts abandoned urban properties into food production centers
VF creates sustainable environments for urban centers
VF creates new employment opportunities
We cannot go to the moon, Mars, or beyond without first learning to farm indoors on
earth
VF may prove to be useful for integrating into refugee camps
VF offers the promise of measurable economic improvement for tropical and subtropical
LDCs. If this should prove to be the case, then VF may be a catalyst in helping to reduce or even reverse the population growth of LDCs as they adopt urban agriculture as a strategy for sustainable food production.
VF could reduce the incidence of armed conflict over natural resources, such as water
and land for agriculture

source: http//www.verticalfarm.com