theSun | WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 4 2009
news without borders
Fast-track skills
acquisition to
address shortage
by Himanshu Bhatt
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
GEORGE TOWN: The federal
government is looking into “fast-
tracking” the acquisition of skills
to resolve a reported shortage of
skilled workers, including electri-
cal and electronics engineers in
the country.
Science, Technology and
Innovation Minister Datuk Seri
Maximus Ongkili said yesterday
the government was facing
pressure to ensure that skills
required in knowledge-based,
innovation-driven industries
were readily available.
He said that while the min-
istry was keeping track of what
these industries required, it was
working to train graduates and
workers in key areas in which
there was a shortfall of supply.
Maximus said this after wit-
nessing the signing of a memo-
randum of understanding for an
industry-academia collaboration
between Agilent Technologies
and the Multimedia Develop-
ment Corporation (MDeC) at the
Agilent plant at the Bayan Lepas
Free Industrial Zone.
Also present were Agilent
Technologies Malaysia and Sin-
gapore president Gooi Soon Chai
and MDEC CEO Datuk Badlisham
Ghazali.
The collaboration is intended
to help equip knowledge work-
ers with a practical understand-
ing of industry-related work as
well as the technical capability
for innovation.
“More such collaborations
should be undertaken to ena-
ble undergraduates, graduates,
post-graduate research students,
academic staff and trainers to
become accustomed to the latest
technologies and developments,
as well as enhance their knowl-
edge and experience in industry-
related work,” Maximus said.
Badlisham noted that MDeC
had estimated ICT-related
industries in Malaysia would
require 23,000 new workers
annually. Some 26,000 students
had already attended MDeC
programmes designed to equip
them with industry-related skills,
he added.
Maximus said the National
Innovation Centre to be set
up by the federal government
would be equipped with a chain
of “centres of excellence” under
the ministry’s purview.
The objective of the centre
is to transform intellectual prop-
erty developed from govern-
ment-funded research into new
sources of wealth to contribute
towards the nation’s gross do-
mestic product.
S’gor govt urged to reassess
stand on Islamic admin
by Hemananthani Sivanandam
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
SHAH ALAM: PAS Shah Alam MP Khalid
Samad urges the state government to reas-
sess its stand on issues pertaining to Islamic
administration and enactments.
Speaking at a press conference at his
service centre yesterday, Khalid said the
state needs to evaluate its stand, especially
regarding issues of “tauliah” or permits to
deliver sermons.
Individuals wanting to conduct a sermon
or religious lecture currently require a
permit from the Selangor Islamic Religious
Affairs Department (JAIS).
This permit requirement, said Khalid,
“reeked of politics” and that the Pakatan
Rakyat state government should push for
reform.
Khalid said he was bringing up the issue
now following the recent arrest of former
Perlis mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Arriffin.
The former mufti was arrested by JAIS
To be Malaysian, we must go to the same school: Dr M
KUALA LUMPUR: To become a Malaysian,
one must at least go to the same school,
said former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir
Mohamad.
He said a single stream school was an
ideal system practised by other countries
in the world. “Well, I think that is an ideal
system ... no country in the world has got
officers on Sunday night for not having a
permit to deliver his sermons but thus far,
he has not been charged.
“What happened to Asri should not have
happened in a Pakatan Rakyat-led state.
Enactments that were approved by the
previous BN government were based on
repressive philosophies and we cannot be
tied down to that system of governance.
“People voted for us because they
wanted to see change. What’s the point of
us being here if we continue to run things
the way they (BN) did,” asked Khalid.
Khalid also called on the state govern-
ment to reassess enactments surrounding
other issues such as the anti-beer laws and
issues involving non-Muslims.
The MP then related his own experience
with regard to the issuing of permits, saying
he received a letter from the Selangor police
after he conducted a sermon at a mosque
in Shah Alam recently.
The letter stated that he did not have a
permit to conduct sermons although he had
three streams ... none ... all the countries in
the world have got only one stream each
based on their own language.
“You can have some schools (of other
stream) but the general education must
be in one stream,” he told reporters after
launching Rhythm of the 21st Century
– Monologues of Raja Shahriman which
9
a temporary permit issued to him by JAIS on
July 10, 2008 to teach and preach.
“Then I get another letter from the police
in October last year saying my temporary
permit cannot be changed to a permanent
one and my current one had to be cancelled
as well because I supposedly have a criminal
record,” said Khalid.
He said he then wrote in to the Selangor
police, and then to Bukit Aman, seeking
clarification but they were unable to answer
or to verify if he had a criminal record.
He then said the police told him to ask
JAIS to write in enquiring about his record.
The puzzled MP said there was no reason
for JAIS to ask for his criminal records.
“Why should JAIS enquire for me as it
is my own “criminal record,” asked Khalid,
adding that he had instructed his lawyers to
issue a notice to the Bukit Aman police to
provide details on his case.
“If they (Bukit Aman police) fail to re-
spond in the given time, then I will take the
matter to court,” he added.
showcased the latest artworks of Malaysia’s
contemporary sculptor Raja Shahriman Raja
Aziddin at Galeri Petronas yesterday.
However, Mahathir said in this country,
you could not even talk about it because the
Chinese educationists were very vehement
that their children must be like Chinese.
– Bernama