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What’s in a name? A lot! Posted: 09 Sep 2011 04:50 PM PDT Not very pretty-looking but the steamed fish head with red hot chillies tastes wonderful... especially after it's been 'sitting' in the sauce a while. KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — We were set to complete our trilogy of Sichuan restaurants with Xin Dong Tong in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, when we discovered it was really a Hunanese restaurant. (We had already eaten at TKS in Jalan Alor, and ZGM Ramen in Imbi before this.) What's the difference you may ask? Hunanese food seems more refined and less obvious than Sichuan food, with the use of salted pickled red chillies in quite a number of dishes. There is also the liberal sprinkling of fried dried red chillies, but somehow the heat is gentler than in Sichuan food. The panfried stick prawns is a must-try. You can find fragrant spices like star anise, cinnamon, fennel and cumin, and a few Sichuan peppercorns in some of the dishes, but it is not used till it numbs, as in Sichuan food. Pork (and pig's innards), beef, duck and lamb feature in a Hunanese menu, as do fish and eel. It's hard to forget the dishes we had at Xin Dong Tong. Top of our list was the Braised Pig's Trotter which had deepfried dried chillies heaped over it. The skin of the meat glistened in the dark brown sauce, and it offered tender, creamy bites, a wonderful balance of the fat and lean, the fragrance of spices well infused in it. The chillies offered a welcoming slow burn. Our first dish had been the Boiled Pig's Stomach Peppercorn Soup. It was more a stew than a soup, hot and peppery, with salted vegetables giving a tart kick to it. The slices of pig's stomach had a crunch to them. We also had an appetizer of braised chicken feet with chilli and Sichuan peppers. It was all about the firm, springy chicken skin, with the chilli and peppers warming up the palate. Shredded potato and chilli... an unsual and crunchy dish. We were pleasantly surprised by the Shredded Potato with Chilli. The diced potato had a crunchy bite, and tasted more like a vegetable than potato. We surmised that the potato must have been diced and soaked in salt water to get rid of the starch, then wokfried with pickled salted chilli, onions and spring onion. We later checked a Hunanese cookbook and found we were right. It seemed so simple but tasted so good. There was a little sourness in the chilli that worked well with the potato. I had repeated helpings of this. We also had the Steamed Fishhead with Red Hot Chilli. It's a fleshy silver carp that looked quite lethal with the red chillies and their seeds smothering it. I spotted bits of preserved black beans among the chilli, and these salty bursts tempered down the tartness and hotness of the bright red hot chillies. We liked the fish even more after it had sat some time in the sauce, the flavours embracing the fish and upping its tastiness. The spicy chicken feet will wake up any appetite. Panfried Stick Prawns was our last dish. As the name suggests, the prawns were threaded on a stick and deepfried, and then buried under deepfried dried chillies, fried garlic, onions, and sprinkled with sesame seeds. They were excellent — the salt hitting the tongue first, then the scent and numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns and chilli, and the sweetness of onions. The shells of the prawns were so crispy you could crunch them whole and eat them with the prawns. The menu is quite extensive at Xin Dong Tong, and it's worth many more visits. The food is priced reasonably: the braised trotter is RM38, pig's stomach soup RM18, and everything else between RM20 and RM30. Other dishes I would like to try include Stewed Eel in Wine, Shredded Duck with Beer, Stewed Pig's Intestines with Special Sauce, Bacon with Marinated Green Beans, Fried Shredded Greens with Minced Pork (a lot of people were ordering this!), Stewed Beancurd with Fishhead and Hot Spicy Diced Chicken. Xin Dong Tong is located at 194 Jalan Changkat Tambi Dollah, off Jalan Pudu (Tel: 03-2144-4128).

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Arsenal’s season starts now, says Wenger Posted: 09 Sep 2011 08:15 AM PDT Wenger reacts during the league match against Liverpool at Emirates Stadium in London August 20, 2011. — Reuters pic LONDON, Sept 9 — The morale at Arsenal is high with the new players at the club ready to get the season up and running, manager Arsene Wenger said today before his team look for their first English Premier League win of the season against Swansea City tomorrow. Arsenal were crushed 8-2 at Manchester United in their last game on August28 and with just one point from their opening three games are currently 17th in the 20-team table. Wenger, though, told the club's official website (arsenal.com): "We were very disappointed (after losing to United) and we were absolutely down after the game but putting things into perspective, we were really weakened on the day. "We had a very demanding game on the Wednesday against Udinese and then conceded four goals in the last 20 minutes when we were down to ten men. "Of course it was difficult, but maybe the international break came at a good time. In between we could buy some players and could get some players back from injury. The real start of the season, where we can get the whole squad together, is now." Unusually for a man who rarely deals late in the transfer window, Wenger brought in defenders Andre Santos and Per Mertesacker, midfielders Yossi Benayoun and Mikel Arteta and forward Park Chu-young just before the deadline closed. He said he did not react purely because of the United defeat. "What really incited me (to buy) was knowing that (Jack) Wilshere will be out for longer than expected, that (Thomas) Vermaelen needed surgery, that (Kieran) Gibbs having the whole season on his shoulders at left back with (Armand) Traore leaving would be very difficult. "With (Nicklas) Bendtner going out the possibility to buy another striker was also there. "I wanted as well some more experience in the squad because on the bench at Manchester United we were very, very young. In a game of this stature of course it's very difficult for the players." Arsenal will look a different side to the one that featured the now-departed Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri working in tandem at the heart of their attacks. Wenger will be hoping for an immediate return from his new faces at home to Swansea, who have yet to score in three league games since winning promotion. "Swansea are a good side who play good football, building out from the back," said Wenger. "Possession-wise they are very good, they are a team who plays football which is suited to the Premier League and that is why we must have a good performance." — Reuters

Man City CEO quits over email row Posted: 09 Sep 2011 07:40 AM PDT Cook (right) and City chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak attend the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur at the City of Manchester Stadium May 5, 2010. — Reuters pic MANCHESTER, Sept 9 — Manchester City chief executive Garry Cook has resigned after an internal investigation into an email sent from his account mocking the cancer-suffering mother of defender Nedum Onuoha, the English Premier League club said today. "Following the findings of the review, Chief Executive Officer Garry Cook has offered his resignation, which has been accepted with regret by the Board," the club said in a statement on its website (mcfc.co.uk). Anthonia Onuoha, who acts as her son's agent, had emailed Cook saying that while she was "ravaged with cancer" it would not stop her negotiating on the player's behalf over a contract dispute he was having. She received a reply, which seemed to be intended for the club's football administrator Brian Marwood, saying; "Brian... Ravaged with it!!...I don't know how you sleep at night. You used to be such a nice man when I worked with you at Nike. G" "The club can confirm that there is foundation to Dr Onuoha's allegations and the chairman has written to apologise to Dr Onuoha for any distress caused," the statement said. Local media had reported this week that Cook had denied sending the email, saying that his account must have been hacked, but today he said he had made "an error of judgment". "I am privileged to have held my position at Manchester City Football Club and to have experienced the opportunities that it has presented," he said on the website. "The privilege is in part offset, however, by the significant personal focus which has at times, detracted from the magnificent achievements of those working at the football club. "It is that factor, together with my error of judgment in this matter that has prompted me to reach this decision, which I believe is in the best interests of the football club." City, the world's richest club, said director John MacBeath would take on the role temporarily before a permanent successor was appointed. Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak thanked Cook for his contribution to the club for the past three years. "His judgement in this matter should in no way lead to his accomplishments being overlooked," he said. "On every level, the club is unrecognisable from the organisation which he inherited and our staff and supporter services, community outreach and commercial activity have seen unparalleled growth under his direction with yet more projects to be realised on the horizon." — Reuters

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Documentary brings Egypt revolt to Venice fest Posted: 09 Sep 2011 07:30 AM PDT A man waves the Egyptian flag on a lamp post at Tahrir square, the focal point of the Egyptian uprising, in Cairo July 29, 2011. — Reuters pic VENICE, Sept 9 — The 18-day uprising that ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is at the centre of "Tahrir 2011," a documentary named after the Cairo square that became a gathering point for protesters which premieres at the Venice film festival. The film is divided into three chapters — The Good, The Bad and The Politician — each handled by a different director and focusing respectively on the demonstrators, police forces and Mubarak. The three sections mix real footage of the protests, the crackdown by the feared security apparatus and Mubarak's defiant speeches in the face of growing revolt with interviews with activists, police officers, Mubarak's aides and political analysts. "It's a collage movie offering three different points of view on the same events," Tamer Ezzat, who like the other two Egyptian co-directors filmed the protests while taking part in them, told reporters in Venice. "The message I'm trying to convey is the revolution is still ongoing. Mubarak's resignation marked a turning point, but we cannot say this is when the story ends." Amr Salama, who directed the take on the 83-year-old Mubarak, said his was both a satirical and serious attempt "to get inside the brain" of the toppled leader. It includes a 10-step guide on how to become a dictator, ranging from hair-dying to creating false enemies, from cultivating a personality cult to going into a state of denial over one's own impending demise. Among those interviewed is Dr Hossam Badrawi, one of Mubarak's closest advisers in the final days of his rule who recounts how his attempts to open the former president's eyes fell on deaf ears. "Mubarak was in total denial, it's almost like he was watching and witnessing something else, not what was happening in the streets," Salama said, speaking in English. "After 30 years he is not the leader he thought he was. I was interested in portraying the ugly image of a dictator and at the same time the dramatic event of him falling and the self-revelation that 'I am not a leader, I am a dictator and the people of my country really hate me'." Other highlights in the documentary include interviews with four police officers, speaking at times candidly about how they were ordered to clamp down on the protests and spy on anyone who was deemed to be an opponent of the regime. "The state used us as a stick to lean on and at the same time beat up people (with)," one of them says. Mubarak, who was overthrown on February 11, is currently on trial on charges of conspiring to kill protesters and inciting some officers to use live ammunition. About 850 people died during the demonstrations. The authors of "Tahrir 2011" reflected on the use of social media and mobile phones during the Arab Spring protests and how this would likely inspire more documentaries on the revolts. "Every time a protester was wounded in Tahrir Square, you'd see five people trying to help him and another 30 filming the scene," said Ezzat. Charif Kiwan, a spokesman for the Abounaddara collective of Syrian film-makers who also took part in the festival's special section on the uprisings, said this type of citizens' journalism had demolished the authorities' grip on information in their countries. "While we're talking, there are people with mobile phones trying to shoot these scenes and documenting them even though they are risking their lives to do that. The regime doesn't want any image of what is happening to circulate," he said. "Documentaries show what these people don't want you to see. An earthquake is taking place, the official narrative is disappearing, it's collapsing. People are finally realising that you can actually turn your gaze and look in a different direction." — Reuters

Venice film fest wins on points but lacks knock-out Posted: 09 Sep 2011 07:25 AM PDT William Friedkin (right) and Emile Hirsch joke as they arrive for the screening of "Killer Joe" at the 68th Venice Film Festival September 8, 2011. — Reuters pic VENICE, Sept 9 — The Venice film festival launched a series of strong movies in 2011, including several early Oscar contenders, but critics said the cinema showcase lacked a standout contender for the Golden Lion award. Madonna, George Clooney, Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon were among the A-listers to walk the red carpet, giving Venice the visibility it needs to compete with other festivals around the world. There was positive buzz around Roman Polanski's "Carnage", Tomas Alfredson's "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", Clooney's "The Ides of March" and Steve McQueen's "Shame". As Hollywood's focus moves from summer blockbusters to potential prize winners ahead of the Academy Awards in February, William Friedkin's "Killer Joe" also proved popular. Outside the English-language world, Hong Kong entry "A Simple Life" and "Faust" from Russia were also in the mix for the Golden Lion for best picture at Saturday's closing ceremony. "We came here with great expectations and high hopes and I don't feel it has quite lived up to that, no film has blown me away," said Jay Weissberg, a critic at trade publication Variety, reflecting the view of many in Venice. In recent years, movies like "Brokeback Mountain", "The Queen", "The Hurt Locker" and "The Wrestler" wowed viewers, and while not all won the top prize, they gave the festival the talking points it needed. In an informal poll of film critics published by Variety, Polanski's Carnage was marginal favourite for the big prize. The comedy of manners is based on a play, and the big screen adaptation is set in real time in a New York apartment, giving it a stage-like effect. Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly play two couples whose children are involved in a brawl, and what starts off as a civilized discussion descends into a drunken slanging match. Waltz had many of the best lines as an attorney whose Blackberry constantly buzzes, while Winslet's spectacular projectile vomit scene was a highlight in Venice. The Oscar-winning actress described shooting the scene as "absolutely hilarious", adding: "My kids came to work ... for the vomit day and I'm so thrilled that they were there because they literally haven't stopped talking about it since." Clooney presented thriller "The Ides of March", in which he stars alongside Ryan Gosling and Philip Seymour Hoffman in a popular take on corruption in US politics. Hollywood heartthrob Matthew McConaughey took a break from romantic comedies in "Killer Joe", a comic modern-day Western about a cop who doubles as a hitman. Two lead performances were singled out by critics as worthy of awards attention, although both movies in which they starred may struggle to win over Academy Award voters. Irish actor Michael Fassbender won rave reviews for his portrayal of Brandon in McQueen's Shame, about a sex-obsessed, emotionally isolated New York executive. Mike Goodridge of Screen Daily described Fassbender as "devastating as the gradually crumbling Brandon; he is worthy of the best actor prize at Venice and many prizes beyond." But he added that the film's unflinching portrayal of sex as an illness could limit its awards potential. Also singled out was Gary Oldman, who portrays George Smiley in Alfredson's acclaimed adaptation of John Le Carre's Cold War spy classic "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy". "This beautifully modulated piece of underacting deserves to make him a strong contender at next year's Oscars," wrote Chris Tookey in the Daily Mail. Yet some felt that however well acted and evocative the movie was of Cold War paranoia, it may prove too British to cause waves in the United States. Hong Kong film maker Ann Hui won admirers in her ode to the elderly "A Simple Life", while the well-received Italian entry L'Ultimo Terrestre (Last Man on Earth) would be the first home win in Venice since 1998. Sokurov, a festival favorite and considered a master by many, brought his strange, absorbing interpretation of Goethe's Faust, a movie which divided audiences in Venice. The German-language picture featured an impressive performance from Anton Adasinsky as the creepy, aged and obese moneylender/Mephistopheles. A headline in the Italian La Stampa daily proclaimed: "The devil has put his hands on the Golden Lion". — Reuters

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Designers, celebrities woo shoppers around world Posted: 08 Sep 2011 10:44 PM PDT Shoppers waiting at the front of the Jean-Paul Gaultier store during the Vogue Fashion's Night Out event in Paris on September 8, 2011. — Reuters pic NEW YORK, Sept 9 — Department stores, designers and celebrities wooed economically battered shoppers around the world yesterday during the third annual "Fashion's Night Out" event to encourage spending and raise money for charity. "Fashion's Night Out," the brainchild of Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour, was designed to jump-start an industry battered by the global recession. Shops were staying open late and offering drinks and entertainment to shoppers in Australia, Asia, Europe and 100 US cities from New York to Los Angeles. "What I love is to see youngsters," Dior Chief Executive Sidney Toledano told Reuters in Paris, where thousands thronged the fashion mecca of Avenue Montaigne, home to Dior and to flagships for other luxury brands such as Chanel and Gucci. "All (these young people) will not become clients, but we need to seduce them today to have them tomorrow," he said. With luxury retailers recovering nicely from the recession, some stores were using the initiative, which coincides with the first day of New York Fashion Week, to raise money for charity with limited-edition pieces. Almost 100 designers are showing their collections for spring/summer 2012 at New York Fashion Week and dozens more are showing at other venues in the city to coincide with the semi-annual event. It is followed by fashion weeks in London, Paris and Milan. Fashion devotees and cheering teenagers swarmed the narrow streets of Milan's fashion district for "Fashion's Night Out," many snapping up limited edition T-shirts and bags. "This event puts us in touch with younger people," Versace Chief Executive Gian Giacomo Ferraris told Reuters. Versace recently announced a collection for retailer H&M. Veronica Etro, who runs Etro with her brothers Ippolito, Jacopo and Kean, said it was "not a proper retail event." "Many enter a luxury store for the first time. Fashion can be intimidating, but it should not be taken too seriously," she said as dozens of shoppers lined up for a €30 (RM107) T-shirt featuring a colour flag that was raising money for charity. Critics have questioned whether the event has served its purpose now that luxury retailers are doing well. High-end stores fare well While the US economic recovery is wavering and consumer confidence wallows at a two-year low, high-end department stores are seeing the largest gains in sales and US retail sales in July showed their biggest increase in four months. "(Fashion's Night Out) was a good idea when it began, back in the depths of the recession when stores were virtually empty," New York Times fashion critic Cathryn Horn wrote in a recent column. "But now it's become a party." "Though it apparently raises money for some causes, I have to believe that the costs of security, crowd control and entertainment, not to mention the traffic headaches, outweigh the actual benefits," she said. Many retailers said they did not measure the precise economic impact of the event and some have conceded it was more of a social and charity event than sales boost. "I look at the style and then I buy the things in shops which are less expensive and which are inspired by what we see in luxury," said Stephanie Beast in Paris. But other shoppers said they came armed with their purses because they enjoyed making purchases on such evenings. "This event definitely encourages you to buy," said Kristel Valladon, 30, a makeup artist who was about to buy a pair of Barbara Bui metallic gray low boots, studded with crystals, costing €1,635. Jean-Michel Lagarde, deputy chief executive of Barbara Bui, said some customers also came back later to buy. "Fashion Night Out brings us business for sure," he said. "So we think that we should have a good (sales) weekend." In New York, Valentino is donating 50 per cent of proceeds from a special edition T-shirt to the Stiller Foundation, which builds schools in Haiti, Dolce and Gabbana is giving proceeds to Pencils of Promise, an educational charity, and Barneys New York is donating 10 per cent of sale proceeds from the evening to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. Fashion and retail is one of New York's largest industries, employing 165,000, which accounts for 5.5 per cent of the city's total workforce. It generated US$9 billion in wages in 2009 and the city is home to more than 900 fashion companies. — Reuters

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9/11 no longer relevant to Afghans Posted: 08 Sep 2011 04:59 PM PDT SEPT 9 — The way the media distorts and manipulates facts has never been so obvious as when I stepped foot for the first time on Afghan soil this week. I'm here for my next documentary project and also as a correspondent for Astro Awani and to produce features for The Malaysian Insider, amongst other media. I am lucky enough (haha!) to be in the country's capital city Kabul for the upcoming 10th anniversary of 9/11. As the weekend approaches, the international media has already begun their hype-up of the "event" with all kinds of feature stories and packages. It seems, according to the media, the whole world is thinking of 9/11 and why wouldn't they when that's all that's being highlighted. Of course, with the 10th anniversary approaching, there looms the threat of the Taliban wanting to make a statement, in the form of attacks and bombings. Everyone seems to be harping about the 10 years that have gone by and all the security issues that have cropped up in the wake of 9/11. Now I'm not saying that we should ever forget such an atrocity, but I'm just trying to put things into a little bit of perspective. So, the first thing I did was to utilise my journalism skills and walk the streets to talk to the people of Kabul and to get their thoughts on the upcoming anniversary of 9/11 I talked to shopkeepers and business owners, university students and street sweepers, and I even talked to local Afghan journalists. And the big response that I got is that after a decade has gone by, the general feeling in the capital of Afghanistan seems to be that 9/11 is not relevant at all here. Yes, it's true that the incident is the main cause of why the American government and troops invaded the country and stayed all this while. But after 10 years, it seems that Kabul-ites have grown disillusioned by everything that has been happening. Firstly, the threat of attacks in the city by the Taliban isn't a big concern anymore even though everyone is still wary. Afghans have been killed so regularly by attacks, both by the Taliban and also the Coalition Forces, throughout the year that it's no longer anything new. Kabul-ites even said that what happened on 9/11 wasn't even an Afghan fight and they reminded me that it was committed by someone who wasn't even an Afghan. What Kabul-ites are really more concerned with now, more than thinking back on 9/11, is basically having a country where they can lead normal lives in. They want a clean and efficient government that represents the people. They want less corruption amongst the authorities. They want jobs. They want security. Then there is the promise of the transition of power from foreign forces to a complete handover to the Afghan government. The Kabul-ites I talked to believe that not much change has occurred in these 10 years that have gone by. The security that they want hasn't materialised. The efficient and clean government that they are hoping for is weak and the jobs they are looking for can't be found. They want the foreign forces to leave because they want to govern themselves yet don't have enough faith in their current government to be able to govern the country. At the end of the day, it's really difficult to summarise the situation in Afghanistan since it's so complicated. And as the international media starts to highlight the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the Afghan people continue to be the ones victimised. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

Noramfaizul mati dalam kerja mulia Posted: 08 Sep 2011 04:44 PM PDT 9 SEPT — Negara dan seluruh rakyat Malaysia mengucap takziah atas kematian Noramfaizul Mohd Nor, jurukamera Bernama yang mati ditembak curi semasa bertugas membantu mangsa kebuluran di Somalia, Jumaat 4 Syawal lalu. Semua dukacita atas kemalangan itu khususnya keluarga al-marhum terutama balu, anak-anak dan ibu bapanya. Atas tugasnya mulia itu, tragedi yang menimpa Noramfaizul, takziah dan simpati secara umum tentu diberi untuk keluarga dan negara oleh dunia khususnya rakyat Somalia sendiri. Sayogia sekalian kita sedih dan hiba secara sepatutnya atas tragedy Noramfaizul itu, dan semuanya wajar redha dengan ketentuan Allah itu. Ia adalah kerana sayangNya yang tidak terhingga ke atas hambaNya Noramfaizul yang meninggalkan anak isteri pergi begitu juah mengikuti rombongan kemanusiaan untuk membantu mangsa kebuluran akibat kemarau terik dan bencana perang saudara di Somalia. Kelab Putera 1 Malaysia yang menaja rombongan kemanusiaan ke Somalia itu telah melakukan satu khidmat terpuji kerana ikut bersama masyarakat prihatin dunia bagi membantu menyelamatkan berjuta rakyat Somalia yang diancam mati kebuluran — tiada makanan dan ubat-ubatan. Dengan satu kematian itu nama Noramfaizul dan misi kemanusiaan Kelab Putera 1 Malaysia itu akan terpahat kekal dalam ingatan bangsa Somalia yang dilanda bencana dan kemalangan itu. Tidak siasia pengorbanan Noramfaizul itu sekalipun dia menemui maut dalam perkhidmatan berasiko tinggi itu. Risiko bagi rombongan itu bukan kerana acaman kemarau dan kebuluran tetapi ia perang saudara antara kerajaan dan pemberontak yang hendak menegakkan pentadbiran Islam. Perang saudara itu mungkin tidak sepanjang yang berlaku jika tidak campur tangan luar. Ia mudah berakhir bergantung pihak mana yang kuat dan cekap, tetapi campur tangan luar menyebabkan ia jadi panjang. Perang saudara ini ikut menyumbang kepada kurang bahan makanan kerana rakyat tidak dapat menggunakan masa untuk mengusahakan bahan makanan sekadar yang terdaya. Orang yang mati sudah ramai sebelum rombongan Noramfaizul itu berangkat ke sana. Mereka mati gara-gara perang saudara dan kerana kebuluran. Rombongan itu tahu akan risikonya tetapi semangat sukarelawan yang tinggi bagi membantu bangsa dan mangsa yang malang itu, mereka sedia menyabung nyawa. Untuk mereka sendiri tentunya ada bekalan rezeki supaya tidak kebuluran semasa membantu mangsa, tetapi peluru sesat dan peluru tembak curi tidak mengenal mangsa. Ratapan atas kematian Noramfaizul sewajarnya dihentikan. Pilunya tidak wajar diperpanjang. Ia wajar diredhai dan disabari. Kita terima hakikat rombongan Malaysia hanya mati seorang. Rakyat Somalia yang ancaman kematian adalah mengikut saat dan minit. Bantuan dunia luar sudah datang, mungkin belum dapat menampung keperluan yang banyak, tetapi halangan huruhara perang dan sistem komunikasi yang buruk menyulitkan bantuan sampai segera kepada mangsa. Yang sudah mati setiap jam dan setiap hari sudah tidak dapat dibuat apa- apa lagi, tetapi yang menderita sakit gara-gara kebuluran yang berjuta-juta itu memerlukan bantuan segara supaya jumlah yang mati tidak bertambah banyak. Kita hentikan dulu ratapan atas kematian Noramfazul dan kini alihkan semua semua simpati dan belas kasihan ke atas jutaan yang putus semua bantuan dan keperluan. Belas simpati yang sebeginilah yang memanggil Noramfaizul mengharung pengembaraan yang bersiko tinggi itu. Nasib malang jutaan umat dilanda bencana itu perlu menjadi tumpuan semula. Dari 55 orang yang pergi baru seorang yang mati. Adalah dipercaya mereka bukan sasaran pihak yang berperang. Tetapi dipercayai kerana sebab-sebab yang mengelirukan. Jangan kerana seorang yang gugur maka kita kejian semula penghantaran sukarelawan dan bantu kemanusiaan. Kalau boleh Datuk Azeez yang mengetuai misi itu dan lain-lain misi seperti itu di tempat lain sebelumnya jangan balik dulu. Dengan semangat dan keberaniannya, wajar ia berada lebih lama supaya dapat mengarahkan rombongan susulan dan dengan pengaruhnya dia boleh minta dihantar bantuan tambahan. Lebih lama dia berada di sana, lebih tahu dia akan segala keperluan dan lebih mudah menyusun strategi bantuan. Lepas ini akan ada lebih banyak bantuan dan rombongan hinggalah bencana itu dapat diredakan. Ahli-ahli agama kita sudah menyatakan besar pahala Noramfaizul atas khidmat mulianya itu justeru membantu umat yang susah. Sekalian yang tidak mati itu juga disediakan ganjaran pahala yang besar juga. Lagi lama lagi banyak pahalanya. Kita doakan mereka pergi dengan niat kerana Allah. Jika pergi dengan niat yang lain, batal kebaikan amal itu. Moga-moga roh Noramfaizul dicucuri rahmat. Bagi yang tidak mati seperti Datuk Azeez, dengan niat yang ikhlas, pahala sudah disediakan. Pungut saja bila mati nanti. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

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Khaled: Subjek Sejarah dikaji semula Posted: 09 Sep 2011 02:14 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 9 Sept — Silabus subjek sejarah peringkat sekolah akan dikaji semula selepas didapati beberapa fakta sebelum ini tidak lengkap dan terdapat percanggahan fakta mengenainya hasil kajian ahli falsafah dan Teologi Negara, Tan Sri Prof Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas dalam buku terbarunya 'Historical Fact and Fiction'. Menteri Pengajian Tinggi Datuk Seri Mohd Khaled Nordin (gambar) berkata sehubungan dengan itu satu kajian mendalam mengenainya akan diadakan oleh fakulti sejarah. "Lepas itu macam mana nak sebarkannya, nak jadikan silabus sekolah menengah atau universiti ke kita akan fikirkan, soalnya sekarang kita nak kaji dulu 'what is the real' sejarah," kata beliau dipetik Bernama Online. Beliau ditemui pada majlis pelancaran buku karya Syed Naquib di kampus Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Kampus Antarabangsa di sini, hari ini. Majlis pelancaran itu disempurnakan oleh Sultanah Johor yang juga Canselor bagi universiti itu, Raja Zarith Sofia Sultan Idris Shah. Khaled berkata Syed Naquib dalam kajiannya mewujudkan beberapa persoalan kemungkinan beberapa sejarah penting tidak dicatitkan sebelum pemerintahan Melaka dan kemungkinan beberapa fakta juga adalah berat sebelah. "Sejarah yang seperti dirujuk kita sebelum ini mungkin diambil daripada penulisan barat, jadi apa yang ada sebelum tertulis oleh barat, maknanya sebelum kedatangan mereka, tidak tercatat apa-apa fakta. "Bagaimanapun, beliau menekankan bahawa sejarah tidak diputar belit, cuma terdapat beberapa fakta yang tidak ditulis. "Jadi dalam hal ini mungkin sejarah boleh dicungkil bukan semata-mata maknanya ada putar belit sejarah, tapi ia lebih kepada mencari kebenaran, ia telah ditulis secara tidak betul," katanya. Bagaimanapun, Khaled memaklumkan bahawa buku itu tidak akan digunakan bagi mengganti buku teks sedia ada di peringkat sekolah, namun akan dijadikan sebagai rujukan bagi kajian yang lebih mendalam.

MTUC simpati nasib pekerja MAS, sokong piket diputuskan 25 Sept Posted: 09 Sep 2011 01:23 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 9 Sept — Kongres Kesatuan Sekerja Malaysia (MTUC) pada dasarnya menyokong pendirian tiga kesatuan pekerja Malaysia Airlines (MAS) yang mahu berpiket berhubung perjanjian kerjasama MAS-AirAsia dan keputusan akhir ke atas tindakan perhubungan industri itu akan dimuktamadkan akhir bulan ini. Presiden MTUC Khalid Atan berkata, isu yang dihadapi oleh kesatuan-kesatuan sekerja MAS akan dibincangkan pada mesyuarat majlis am kongres pada 25 September ini. Tiga kesatuan pekerja-pekerja MAS yang mewakili kira-kira 15,000 pekerja akan berpiket ekoran pertukaran saham syarikat penerbangan kebangsaan dan berpendapat bahawa janji niaga MAS-AirAsia tidak akan memberikan manfaat kepada MAS, dan percaya pengurusan baru syarikat penerbangan itu merancang mewujudkan satu jenama baru dalam syarikat penerbangan sebagai sebahagian daripada langkah menghapuskan kesatuan. "Saya sudah dimaklumkan masalah mereka, sudah pasti ia akan dibincangkan pada mesyuarat majlis am MTUC, jika dipersetujui kami akan menyokong tindakan piket mereka nanti," katanya. "Keputusan akhir perlu diputuskan oleh majlis am, ia keputusan bersama, bukan saya seorang sahaja," katanya kepada The Malaysian Insider hari ini. Khalid berkata, maklumat yang beliau terima menunjukkan pengurusan baru tidak merujuk kepada kepimpinan kesatuan-kesatuan sekerja sebelum mengambil tindakan, misalnya memindahkan 80 peratus tenaga kerja ke penerbangan baru yang dinamakan Sapphire. "Seramai 80 peratus pekerja MAS akan dipindahkan ke syarikat baru, tinggal 20 peratus dalam organisasi lama ... tindakan ini mengikut kesatuan sekerja adalah tidak sihat... mereka tidak gembira kerana perkara ini tidak dibincang dengan mereka, malah khuatir ia juga akan menjejaskan tahap kekananan seseorang pekerja," kata beliau lagi. Semalam, Setiausaha Agung Kesatuan Pekerja-pekerja MAS Semenanjung Malaysia (Maseu), Abdul Malek Arif mendakwa kesatuan itu menjangkakan hampir 80 peratus pekerja syarikat itu akan dipindahkan ke syarikat penerbangan baru Sapphire. Katanya, langkah sedemikian akan menjejaskan keahlian kesatuan dan memberi kesan ke atas keupayaan mewakili tenaga kerja. Dalam satu kenyataan yang dikeluarkan awal pagi tadi, MAS melahirkan rasa kecewa ekoran laporan media bahawa kesatuan-kesatuan sekerjanya mahu mengadakan ancaman tindakan piket. Menurut MAS, Maseu, Kesatuan Pekerja Penerbangan Sarawak dan Kesatuan Sekerja Penerbangan Sabah turut dilibatkan dalam pelbagai urusan berkaitan Kerangka Kerja Usaha Sama Komprehensif (CCF). MAS berkata ia telah dan akan terus melibatkan kesatuan. Malah ia juga berkata pengurusan kini bekerja keras untuk menyelesaikan butiran penggabungan dan akan mengumumkannya secara rasmi, tertakluk kepada kelulusan pengawal aturan, pada masa yang sesuai. Semalam tiga kesatuan itu mempunyai keanggotaan seramai 15,000 orang mengumumkan anggotanya akan berpiket ekoran pertukaran saham syarikat penerbangan kebangsaan itu dengan AirAsia. Presiden Maseu Alias Aziz dilaporkan berkata mereka berpendapat bahawa janji niaga itu tidak akan memberikan manfaat kepada MAS, dan percaya pengurusan baru syarikat penerbangan itu merancang mewujudkan satu jenama baru dalam syarikat penerbangan sebagai sebahagian daripada langkah menghapuskan kesatuan.

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