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Internet lords keep ‘.wine’ bottled for now Posted: 08 Apr 2014 09:37 PM PDT April 09, 2014 Internet overseers are keeping .WINE and .VIN online addresses bottled in the hope a few months of aging will make them more palatable. The head of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was under directive by its board on Monday to put a temporary hold on the process of contracting .WINE and .VIN domain names. The 60-day hold on the process was implemented to "provide additional time for the relevant impacted parties to negotiate, which they are encouraged to do," the ICANN board said in a resolution approved late Friday at a meeting in Singapore. Wine industry groups in Europe, California and elsewhere keen on defending appellations with valuable reputations such as Bordeaux or Napa. Wine makers also fear having to pay to register their names at websites in the new online terrain solely to stop online addresses from being used by imposters or in ways that could spoil reputations. ICANN has measures in place to safeguard trademarks and other third-party interests, Universite Pantheon-Assas law professor Jerome Passa noted in a legal analysis solicited by the board. In regard to Donuts Inc. seeking to operate online terroir dubbed .VIN and .WINE, Passa concluded in a written analysis that "there is no rule of the law of geographical indications, nor any general principle which obliges ICANN to reject the applications." An ICANN committee recommended that the board consider the larger implications of "legally complex and politically sensitive issues" at issue and whether there is a forum better suited to address concerns raised by .WINE and .VIN applications. New online neighbourhoods began opening in January when Donuts began offering Web addresses ending in ".guru," ".bike" – and even ".singles." Donuts, based in the north-western state of Washington, manages domains, letting website registry firms such as GoDaddy sell addresses to the public. Donuts have rolled out domain suffixes including camera, equipment, estate, gallery, graphics, lighting, and photography. Opening the Internet to domain names that go far beyond .com, .net, .gov, and .edu has been heralded by Web overlords at ICANN as the biggest change to the Web since it was created. More than 100 new gTLDs have cleared hurdles to reach registries such as Donuts. Online neighborhoods with addresses ending in the Chinese word for "game;" the Arabic words for "web" or "network," or the Cyrillic word for "online" were cleared last year and more were to follow suit. California-based ICANN says the huge expansion of the Internet – with some two billion users around the world, half of them in Asia – means new names are essential. The arrival of new online neighbourhoods has been heralded as a "revolution" greatly expanding online terrain from the long-used 22 gTLDs, of which .com and .net comprise the lion's share. – AFP/Relaxnews, April 9, 2014.

Does junk food make you lazy? Posted: 08 Apr 2014 05:51 PM PDT April 09, 2014 In addition to leading to obesity, a high-fat, high-sugar diet of processed foods may actually decrease motivation. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, April 9, 2014.A diet rich in processed foods and fat – and the extra weight that comes along with it – may actually cause fatigue, a lack of motivation and decreased performance, according to a recent study involving lab rats. It's a generally accepted fact that a sedentary lifestyle can lead to obesity. But according to the study led by biologist Aaron Blaisdell at UCLA in California, obesity can also lead to a sedentary lifestyle, indicating something of a vicious cycle. If the effects seen in the rats in the study can be applied to humans, excessive consumption of processed and fat-rich foods affects our motivation as well as our overall health. For the study, published in the April 10 issue of Physiology & Behavior, Blaisdell and his team of researchers divided a sample group of 32 female rats into two groups. The first group was fed a diet of relatively unprocessed foods, while the second was given a "junk food" diet of highly processed foods rich in sugar and saturated fat. All of the rats were required to complete a basic task – pushing a lever – to receive a food or water reward. Three months into the experiment, the researchers observed, unsurprisingly, that the rats on the junk food diet had grown significantly fatter than the others. The more interesting finding, however, was that these obese rats' performance of the lever task had become impaired, as they took much longer breaks than the lean rats between performing the task. The researchers refer to this lack of motivation as "cognitive impairment". At the end of six months, the researchers reversed the rats' diets. But after nine days on the less-processed foods, the obese rats showed little change in weight and no change in their response to the lever task. Similarly, the lean rats remained lean and showed no decrease in motivation after nine days on junk food. According to the researchers, these findings indicate that it is long-term habits, rather than occasional health kicks or junk food binges, that are responsible for our weight and motivation. The researchers indicate that the findings are very likely to apply to humans, whose physiological systems are similar to those of rats. For Blaisdell, the study suggests that current societal attitudes towards obesity should be reconsidered. "Overweight people often get stigmatised as lazy and lacking discipline," Blaisdell said. "We interpret our results as suggesting that the idea commonly portrayed in the media that people become fat because they are lazy is wrong. Our data suggest that diet-induced obesity is a cause, rather than an effect, of laziness. Either the highly processed diet causes fatigue or the diet causes obesity, which causes fatigue." – AFP/Relaxnews, April 9, 2014.

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Mo races into unknown territory with first marathon Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:10 AM PDT April 08, 2014 British Olympic athlete Mo Farah poses for photographs in front of Tower Bridge ahead of competing in this year's London marathon. – Reuters pic, April 8, 2014.Like many of the 30,000 who will toe the line at the London Marathon on Sunday, Mo Farah will do so with a certain amount of trepidation, vowing to follow the amateur's mantra of "respect the distance, be patient and see where it takes me". Farah's ultimate target, however, is some way removed from the rest of the field as, in his first crack at the revered 26.2 mile distance, he is planning to take on and beat one of the best elite fields ever assembled. Four of the 10 fastest men ever, seven of the top 20, including 2.03.23 world record holder and 2012 London winner Wilson Kipsang, will race at a pace that Farah hopes, but is not yet certain, he can live with. "It's completely different, track to road," the world and Olympic 5,000 and 10,000 metres champion told a Tuesday news conference held in the shadow of Tower Bridge, the iconic halfway mark of the race. "When I'm training normally, I can do reps of 5km or whatever it is, but for the marathon it's so much harder as you don't run those distances often. "But I've learned a lot and am looking forward to it. Now is the time to test myself and find out if I'm good at it or not." 'Good', of course, is a relative term for a man with a sound claim to be Britain's greatest-ever athlete. Such is the progress he has made over the last four years, with his superlative distance double among the highlights of the London Olympics, that expectation levels among the public have rocketed. Farah gave them a taster a year ago when he ran the first half of the London Marathon in a bid to gain some experience and familiarise himself with the course and logistics of the race. That went well enough, but another half-marathon outing in New York three weeks ago was not so smooth as he tripped early in the race and then collapsed unconscious after crossing the line in second place behind Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai, who is also racing on Sunday. Farah, 31, brushed off the incident on Tuesday, saying the extra effort he had to put in to recover from his fall, combined with the cold weather, left him completely spent. "When you go down in a race, it's hard," he said, "You're tired and it's hard mentally. I was trying to finish hard, but I was seeing stars at the end. "It's happened before. I did it after a cross country in 2009, so I wasn't worried and I've just got a few scratches on my hip from the fall." On Sunday Farah could face a dilemma as he tries to run the pace he thinks he can handle, while possibly being drawn into a potentially disastrous breakaway if some of the African favourites, as is likely, set off at world record pace. "I think I'll go with the group and see what happens. I'll try to be patient," he said. "I know with my confidence from the track I should be up there, but it's the distance that's the challenge. You have to respect the distance." Farah's presence has delivered a buzz for home fans, who have not seen a British winner since Eamonn Martin in 1993 and fully expect Steve Jones's 29-year-old British record of 2:07.13 to fall. Farah has that mark in his sights. "That's my main target," he said. "I want to go after that British record, then see what comes. "It's going to be an incredible race, whatever happens - just look at the field." Farah said he had taken heart from Kenenisa Bekele's 2:05.03 debut win in Paris last week, as the man who preceded him as world and Olympic double distance champion chalked up the seventh fastest debut ever. "That was a great time for his first marathon and it gives me confidence, but this is different to Paris," said Farah, who won London's mini-marathon three times as a teenager based in the south-west of the city, having moved from Somalia as an eight-year-old. "He had nobody there to worry about. He went in with a different mind than me in London, which is the toughest field." Farah said he had no concerns about testing himself against the best, even if it meant potentially denting his reputation as a serial winner. "Every race is a risk for me," he said. "I've gone straight in at the deep end, but that's what champions do." – Reuters, April 8, 2014.

Adrian ready to step into injured Costa’s boots, says Simeone Posted: 08 Apr 2014 07:59 AM PDT April 08, 2014 Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone (pic) believes bit-part striker Adrian Lopez is up to the task of replacing top scorer Diego Costa for his side's Champions League quarter-final, second leg at home to Barcelona on Wednesday. Costa is a major doubt for the match due to a hamstring injury that forced him off half an hour into last week's 1-1 draw in the first leg. Adrian has scored just twice this season in 31 appearances, but Simeone insisted he will partner former Barca striker David Villa in attack if Costa doesn't recover in time. "Any player has at least to be at a minimum of 90% to play. If he is at 50% he cannot play, it doesn't matter if it is Costa, (Diego) Godin or Miranda. "If he doesn't play, Adrian will. It will be a great opportunity for him. He offers us a lot and I have full confidence in him." Atletico also lead the way in La Liga, a point ahead of Barcelona, with just six games remaining. However, both sides struggled physically on their way to wins at the weekend and Simeone is counting on the crowd at the Vicente Calderon to lift his players energy levels after a long season. "We have had a great season and it has been hard for the players. We are still competing and that is due to the great physical work of the players. "To work with positive energy is important and it is vital to have that energy in the stadium tomorrow night." All four meetings between Atletico and Barca so far this season have ended in draws with both sides managing to score just twice. Simeone admitted that his side hold a slight advantage heading into the return leg, thanks to Diego's stunning away goal at the Camp Nou. However, the Argentine said Barca's recent 4-3 win away to Real Madrid was a warning that this Barca side still have the ability to turn the tie in their favour with a moment of brilliance. "There is minimal advantage for us, but given the characteristics of the Barcelona team, they always play in the same manner. They want to attack and dominate the game. They never play to defend. "There are still 90 or 120 minutes left to play. They are experts in scoring and we need to remember the four goals they scored at the Bernabeu. Moreover, they have a lot of experience in this type of game." Atletico captain Gabi, meanwhile, claimed the players are enjoying their success too much to let tiredness affect them in the remaining six weeks of the season. "We are in the best form of our lives. Nobody is tired. We want to finish the season as we started it. "From now on we will see the best Atletico of the whole year."  – AFP, April 8, 2014.

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Social pressures force Tunisia women to fake virginity Posted: 07 Apr 2014 11:08 PM PDT April 08, 2014 It happens every April ahead of the summer marriage season, says Tunisian gynaecologist Faouzi Hajri – desperate brides-to-be beg for surgery to make them "virgins" again for their wedding night. Fearing rejection as "used" women in a conservative Muslim country where premarital sex is nevertheless common, Tunisian women are increasingly opting for the sort of surgery offered by Doctor Hajri. But it doesn't stop them regretting the need to convince new husbands of their purity. "A woman's honour shouldn't be determined by a few drops of blood," says Salima, a 32-year-old who admits she had the operation so that her "honour" was not in question on her wedding night. It is easy for a woman to have her hymen surgically reconstructed in Tunisia. The routine hospital operation takes around 30 minutes and costs from 400 to 700 euros (RM1,795 to RM3,142), with a less permanent version needing to be done within a week of the wedding, while the stitches hold. "The number of women resorting to hymenoplasty or hymenorrhaphy (as the operations are known) has gone up a lot in recent years," says Moncef Kamel, a doctor in the southern island of Djerba. The women he operates on – around 100 each year, aged between 18 and 45 – come with their faces hidden behind a scarf and dark glasses, "have a normal, active sex life", and generally hail from working-class backgrounds. "It's a taboo subject, which explains why there's a lack of official statistics," says Doctor Hajri. The Tunis-based gynaecologist says he also treats about 100 women annually, including from neighbouring Libya and Algeria. Men want virgin brides Since the 1950s, Tunisia has been considered the most progressive country in the Arab world in terms of women's rights, and politicians enshrined gender equality in the new constitution adopted in January. Demographic changes have reinforced personal freedoms, with sex outside marriage increasingly common and more people opting to marry later. But conservative attitudes persist, and for many Tunisian men marrying a virgin remains a priority, hence the rising demand for hymen restorations. For Tarek Belhadj Mohamed, a sociologist, such male attitudes reflect the "hypocrisy" of Tunisian society, which he said refuses to recognise the change in behaviour of a large section of the population. Research by psychoanalyst Nedra Ben Smail indicates that just five percent of Tunisian young women are not worried about losing their virginity before marriage, while more than 75% of women appearing to be virgins on their wedding night have had the operation. "The Tunisian way of life seems modern and open, but the reality is different, our society and even our ruling elite is in theory tolerant on the question of virginity, but when it affects them personally, virginity is a primordial condition for marriage," said Belhadj Mohamed. "Virginity certifies a woman's validity in our society where her purpose is essentially sexual and reproductive, while men have to 'train' so that they are sexually mature when they get married," he argued. He called the hymen operation a form of "discrimination towards women". Lying under pressure Salima agrees, despite having consented to the operation herself, saying she was forced into it by "the hypocrisy of men and of our society". The young woman decided one day that she would be honest with her boyfriend, whom she had not slept with, and told him she was not a virgin. "But as soon as he knew, he refused to marry and did everything he could to get me into his bed. That's the way Tunisian men think. A woman who has had sex before marriage is just a slut and can't be a good mother!" Another young woman, Sabra, believes unmarried women should have the right to a sex life just like the men, and that virginity is never a guarantee of fidelity. But the 27-year-old also chose to lie and yield to social pressures, rather than run the risk of remaining single. "If I had told my husband that I wasn't a virgin, he would never have agreed to marry me. And it's the same for many women in Tunisia." – AFP, April 8, 2014.

British scientist identify brain region linked to gambling addiction Posted: 07 Apr 2014 08:19 PM PDT April 08, 2014 British researchers have identified a brain region known as the insula that may be linked to gambling addiction, China's Xinhua news agency reported. Researchers said gamblers tended to think that future probabilities were altered by past events which is known as the "gambler's fallacy." For instance, near-misses seem to encourage further play, although there are no differences from any other loss. In a random sequence like tossing a coin, a run of one event (heads) makes them think the other outcome (tails) is due next. To determine the neurobiological origins of these distortions, Luke Clark from the University of Cambridge and colleagues examined patients with injuries to different parts of the brain. Thirty-one patients with injuries to specific parts of the brain, including the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, amygdala and insula were given two gambling tasks – a slot machine game that delivered wins and "near-misses," and a roulette game involving red or black predictions to elicit the gambler's fallacy. Thirteen patients with injuries to other parts of the brain and 16 healthy participants also played the simulated gambling games for comparison. All of the groups with except patients with insula damage reported a heightened motivation to play following near-misses in the slot machine game, and also fell prey to the gambler's fallacy in the roulette game. "Based on these results, we believe that the insula could be hyperactive in problem gamblers, making them more susceptible to these errors of thinking," Clark said. The findings, published in the U.S. journal PNAS, suggested that the insula could be a future target in treatment on compulsive gambling. "Future treatments for gambling addiction could seek to reduce this hyperactivity either by drugs or by psychological techniques like mindfulness therapies," Clark added. – Bernama, April 8, 2014.

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Six novels shortlisted for Bailey’s Women’s Prize Posted: 07 Apr 2014 11:43 PM PDT April 08, 2014 ​Six novels have made the shortlist for The Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction, the organisers of Britain's only annual book award for women's fiction announced yesterday. "We are very excited by the books we have chosen for the shortlist," Helen Fraser, chair of judges, said in a statement. "Each one is original and extraordinary in its own way, each offers something different and exciting and illuminating." The six finalists for the prize, to be announced in June, are as follows: 1. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nigeria, for "Americanah" 2. Hannah Kent, Australia, for "Burial Rites" 3. Jhumpa Lahiri, Britain and the United States, for "The Lowland" 4. Audrey Magee, Ireland, for "The Undertaking" 5. Eimear McBride, Ireland, for "A Girl is a Half-formed Thing" 6. Donna Tartt, American, "The Goldfinch" – Reuters, April 8, 2014.

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Baru sehari jadi Adun, Dr Wan Azizah mula jadi sasaran Posted: 08 Apr 2014 02:25 AM PDT OLEH JAMILAH KAMARUDIN April 08, 2014 Adun Kajang, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail beraksi dalam Dewan Undangan Negeri Selangor di Shah Alam hari ini. – Gambar The Malaysian Insider oleh Afif Abd Halim.Baru sehari menjadi Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Selangor, Presiden PKR Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail mula menerima "serangan" daripada barisan pembangkang Barisan Nasional (BN) dalam Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Selangor hari ini apabila menimbulkan isu moral suaminya, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, dengan kes Liwat II dan Langkah Kajang. Adun BN sejak awal mempersoalkan Pakatan Rakyat yang tidak mengiktiraf integriti institusi kehakiman apabila enggan menerima keputusan kes Liwat II, namun menyifatkan mahkamah sebagai adil apabila menolak pendengaran saman golongan ibu tunggal yang difailkan terhadap kerajaan Selangor. Pencaturan Langkah Kajang juga turut diperlekehkan Ketua Pembangkang Selangor, Datuk Shamsudin Lias yang mendakwa Anwar tidak layak memimpin negeri. – 8 April, 2014. MENYUSUL LAGI

Rodziah nafi dakwaan Zuraida, minta bukti atau ia hanya fitnah politik kotor Posted: 08 Apr 2014 02:03 AM PDT OLEH JAMILAH KAMARUDIN April 08, 2014 Calon Ketua Wanita PKR Pusat, Rodziah Ismail menafikan kenyataan penyandang jawatan Zuraida Kamaruddin bahawa calon dari Selangor menggunakan kapasiti sebagai pentadbir kerajaan negeri meraih undi ahli. – Gambar The Malaysian Insider oleh Afif Abd Halim, 8 April, 2014.Calon Ketua Wanita PKR Pusat, Rodziah Ismail menafikan dakwaan berlakunya unsur salah guna kuasa oleh calon dari Selangor dan menyifatkan dakwaan itu sebagai fitnah dan percubaan membawa politik kotor. Beliau menolak dakwaan calon dari Selangor menggunakan kapasiti sebagai pentadbir kerajaan negeri meraih undi ahli parti, seperti yang didakwa penyandang jawatan itu, Zuraida Kamaruddin. Rodziah berkata, Zuraida perlu mengemukakan bukti kukuh dan menyerahkan kepada Jawatankuasa Pemilihan Pusat (JPP) sebelum mengeluarkan kenyataan sedemikian. "Selagi tidak ada bukti, kita anggap itu fitnah. "Kalau ada fakta buktikan. Ahli PKR dah matang, buktikan dan berani cakap perkara benar tetapi jangan bawa politik kotor. "Saya ambil pendekatan JPP berkali-kali menasihatkan kalau ada bukti tampil ke hadapan bawa aduan dan Jawatankuasa Disiplin akan kaji untuk tindakan," katanya ketika ditemui The Malaysian Insider hari ini. Zuraida semalam mendakwa pihaknya menerima aduan wujudnya salah guna kuasa kerajaan negeri menjelang Pemilihan PKR 2014, namun tidak mendedahkan nama calon yang terlibat sebaliknya mahu JPP menyiasat dakwaan tersebut. "Kita tidak mahu mereka menggunakan jawatan yang diletakkan parti untuk keselesaan mereka dalam pertandingan parti. "Jangan gunakan kuasa itu, parti (pusat) juga ada kuasa... (jadi) pergelutan mungkin ada di situ," kata Zuraida kepada The Malaysian Insider. Rodziah turut menafikan dirinya menyalahgunakan kedudukannya sebagai Exco Selangor dan menggunakan jentera pentadbiran negeri untuk berkempen. Beliau berkata dirinya dan pemimpin PKR lain termasuk Exco Selangor Elizabeth Wong dan Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim tidak dapat lari daripada persepsi mereka merupakan sebahagian daripada pentadbiran kerajaan negeri. "Saya tak gunakan cara tersebut. Kalau saya keluar berkempen sekali pun daripada sudut kewangannya itu daripada hasil tiitk peluh saya, gaji saya sendiri," tegasnya. Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Batu Tiga itu berkata sebagai ahli politik yang matang Zuraida tidak sepatutnya menimbulkan persepsi sedemikian di kalangan ahli. "Persepsi tak semestinya betul. Memulakan persepsi negatif itu membimbangkan saya. "Dalam tempoh kempen yang sihat ini membawa budaya negatif dan fitnah itu kita harap jangan dibudayakan dalam kempen pilihan raya kali ini," katanya. – 8 April, 2014.

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Hendak sekat media luar negara macam parti politik buat? Posted: 07 Apr 2014 05:42 PM PDT April 08, 2014 Md Izwan adalah wartawan The Malaysian Insider. ‎Beliau berkicau di @izwan_noborders. Ketika saya menghadiri satu majlis, saya curi-curi dengar seorang jurugambar media tempatan mainstream (arus perdana) yang mengeluh tentang berita negatif daripada media luar negara. Bagaimana saya tahu si polan ini bekerja dengan media mainstream? Mudah sahaja, pas medianya berwarna biru, di kalangan pengamal media, kami sinonim tahu itu pas istimewa, boleh dikategorikan sebagai penjawat awam. Beliau mengeluh, "Kenapa tidak sekat sahaja media luar negara daripada masuk sidang media kalau mereka 'spin' berita, dengan media tempatan mereka boleh halang". Bagi pengamal media alternatif, kami sudah biasa kalau dihalang masuk dalam sidang media, khususnya kalau berkenaan sidang media parti politik tertentu. Saya tidak mahu terjun membuat kesimpulan tentang pihak media yang dimaksudkan jurugambar tersebut. Berkobar-kobar semangat jurugambar ini marah dengan media luar negara, khususnya Daily Mail, yang dituduhnya seperti akhbar Metro di Malaysia. Jurugambar ini terlupa satu perkara, bahasa penulisan Daily Mail adalah berbahasa Inggeris, bahasa yang dibaca majoriti penduduk dunia. Metro, dibaca oleh pakcik dan makcik di kampung, mereka suka membaca tentang jenayah, ataupun misteri kemalangan, ataupun cerita tentang artis ditangkap khalwat. Bukan mahu membela media luar negara, cuma ini adalah hakikat yang membezakan antara Daily Mail dan Metro. Saya tidak katakan akhbar United Kingdom tersebut tepat beritanya, seperti kita tahu, terdapat banyak percanggahan dalam laporan mereka. Adalah berbeza sama sekali, halangan membuat liputan dalam sidang media parti politik dan halangan membuat liputan sidang media ketika krisis. Mungkin jurugambar ini lupa, laporan sidang media Umno dibaca oleh makcik dan pakcik kampung Felda, itupun kalau mereka minat. Ketika krisis MH370, ia melibatkan penumpang serata dunia, banyak kewarganegaraan. Cadangan menghalang media luar negara seperti yang dilakukan ke atas media tempatan adalah tidak praktikal sama sekali. Baru-baru ini, Pengarah DCA juga mengambil sikap sama, menghalau pihak media daripada menghadiri taklimat yang diberikan pihak berkuasa. Jika mahu memberi layanan sama kepada media luar negara, saya rasa kita patut pertimbangkan semula. Malaysia bukan sebuah negara di mana tiada masyarakat dunia "yang ambil port", ramai rakyat kita bekerja di luar negara, ramai belajar di luar negara malah ramai juga wartawan biro yang bekerja di luar negara. Pada 8 April, pusat sidang media MH370 akhirnya ditutup secara rasmi, riuh-rendah para pengamal media tidak akan kedengaran lagi. Selepas ini, masalah kedua akan dihadapi media, bagaimana hendak menghubungi pihak berkuasa untuk mendapatkan informasi terkini, memandangkan penjawat awam dan ahli politik di Malaysia bukannya jenis yang mengangkat telefon. – 8 April, 2014. * Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili pandangan The Malaysian Insider.

Melayu Singapura kini berdikari dan maju Posted: 07 Apr 2014 04:57 PM PDT April 08, 2014 Shukur mempunyai lebih 30 tahun pengalaman sebagai wartawan dan bekerja dengan pelbagai media. Beliau kini pencen tetapi menjadi pemerhati politik yang tegar. Melayu Singapura kini menjadi contoh terbaik bahawa walaupun ia golongan minoriti di tengah bandaraya yang demikian moden dengan nilai mata wangnya yang demikian tinggi, tetapi ia kini mampu bersaing dengan kaum lain, khususnya kaum Cina, di negara itu. Malah lebih dari itu, sejumlah besar daripada orang Melayu berjaya dalam pelbagai bidang perniagaan – besar dan kecil, di samping menjadi golongan profesional yang berjaya, malah menyandang jawatan tinggi di pelbagai sektor swasta. Mereka mampu membina kehidupan yang lebih baik, malah ada yang menjadi kaya di tengah masyarakat yang moden seperti bandaraya Singapura. Rahsia kejayaan Melayu Singapura ini ialah kerana mereka berdepan dengan situasi Singapura di mana mereka perlu bekerja keras untuk 'survival' tanpa mengharapkan bantuan daripada mana-mana pihak. Maka itu, mereka membulatkan tekad dan berusaha keras dalam bidang masing-masing. Anak-anak Melayu Singapura pula kini sudah ramai menduduki universiti tempatan dan luar negeri seperti di Eropah, Amerika, Jepun, Australia dan lain-lain dalam pelbagai jurusan. Pelajar ini dibiayai oleh ibu bapa mereka sendiri, tanpa bantuan pihak lain. Dalam hubungan ini, beberapa peniaga Melayu Singapura menyampaikan ucapan di Persidangan Melayu/Islam Dewan Perniagaan Melayu Singapura kelmarin. Majlis ini dianjurkan oleh Dewan tersebut yang dihadiri oleh Perdana Menteri Singapura, Encik Lee Hsien Loong sebagai tetamu kehormat. Persidangan kali ketiga ini bertemakan, "Seni Usaha Sama Dalam Perniagaan: Memupuk Hubungan di Asia". Lebih 500 peniaga hadir. Persidangan tersebut menemukan ramai peniaga Melayu dan bukan Melayu Singapura yang bukan sahaja berjaya membuka perniagaan di negara itu, bahkan sesetengahnya sudah membuka cawangan di luar Singapura. Inilah gambaran yang sangat berbeza masa kini tentang kedudukan orang Melayu Singapura, khususnya di bidang perniagaan dan perusahaan. Ketika saya berada di bandaraya itu selama lima hari, menziarahi sanak-saudara dan sahabat handai, saya menyaksikan perubahan yang sangat ketara ini. Orang Melayu bukan sahaja rancak membuka restoran siang dan malam di merata tempat – walaupun sewanya mahal – tetapi juga membuka kedai yang menjual pelbagai jenis barang di merata pusat membeli belah. Mereka juga membuka agensi hartanah, mengadakan pelbagai pusat latihan, membuka agensi pelancongan – termasuk pakej umrah dan haji. Ahli parlimen Melayu seperti Zainal Safari, Intan Azura Mokhtar (GRC Ang Mo Kio), Zaqy Mohamed (GRC Chua Chu Kang) dan Muhd Faisal Manaf (GRC Aljunied) dan lain-lain memberikan perhatian berat kepada kepentingan orang Melayu Singapura. Perlu disebutkan di sini bahawa Speaker Parlimen Singapura ialah seorang wanita Melayu, Dr Halimah Yaacob, sementara Dr Maliki Osman memegang jawatan Menteri Negara (Pembangunan Negara merangkap Pertahanan), sementara menteri yang bertanggungjawab bagi Melayu/Islam ialah Dr Yaacob Ibrahim. Di samping itu, anak Melayu juga sudah memegang pelbagai jawatan tinggi dalam kerajaan. Ini adalah perubahan yang sangat jelas di kalangan orang Melayu, lebih-lebih lagi di kalangan generasi baru Melayu Singapura di mana semuanya adalah hasil pendidikan tinggi yang diperolehi oleh generasi Melayu baru Singapura. Saya bertemu dengan beberapa kalangan generasi Melayu lama dalam lawatan saya ke Singapura itu. Memang mereka mengakui bahawa Singapura sudah mengalami perubahan yang sangat pesat. "Zaman ini bukan zaman kami lagi," kata Haji Saleh, salah seorang yang saya temui di Geylang, dan menambah, "Zaman kami dulu zaman susah." Orang Melayu di Kampung Wak Tanjung, Gelang, Lorong Engku Aman, Jalan Eunus dan kampung Melayu yang lain "mendiami rumah rendah, separuh batu, separuh kayu." Seorang lagi pesara, Encik Mana, berkata: "Ada juga yang mendiami rumah kayu sepenuhnya seperti di Siglap, Teluk Kurau dan lain-lain. "Bagaimanapun, kami bersyukur anak-anak kami ada yang sudah lulus universiti, ada yang bergaji besar, ada yang bekerja sendiri dan mampu menyara ibu bapa seperti kami." Saya bersolat Jumaat di Masjid Al-Mawaddah, Sengkang, di tengah kawasan perniagaan yang sibuk di bandaraya Singapura. Ia sebuah masjid paling moden daripada segi seni binanya dan baru ditegakkan pada 2009. Seperti masjid lain di Singapura, solat Jumaat di situ padat dengan para jamaah dan menariknya di sekitar masjid itu serta di tepi jalan, dipenuhi kereta yang kebanyakannya jenis yang mahal. Pada saya, ini juga membayangkan taraf hidup orang Melayu/Islam di republik ini. Majlis Agama Islam Singapura (Mais) bertindak menaungi semua masjid di Singapura dan didapati penyelengaraannya yang moden lengkap dengan semua peralatan moden. Saya diberitahu, dana pembinaan dan pengurusan semua masjid di Singapura datang daripada umat Islam sendiri di mana saya diberitahu umat Islam Singapura berlumba-lumba memberikan sumbangan kepada masjid, khususnya di bulan Ramadhan di mana derma datang mencurah-curah. Inilah perkembangan yang sangat menarik di kalangan umat Islam Singapura. Walaupun di kalangan mereka (seperti juga rakyat Singapura yang lain) berdepan dengan masalah pekerja asing yang 'membanjiri' negara itu, namun orang Melayu Singapura masih kelihatan mampu mengawal diri dan tidak mencetuskan sebarang ketegangan atau masalah. Di sinilah kelihatan jelas Melayu Singapura kini berupaya menghadapi sebarang persaingan. Ia muncul sebagai Melayu yang berkualiti, yang berusaha untuk maju. Erti dan konsep 'survival' benar-benar dimanfaatkan oleh mereka, maknanya tanpa pergantungan atau tanpa mendapatkan 'tongkat' daripada mana-mana pihak pun mereka boleh maju dalam hidup. Kemampuan mereka berdikari inilah yang menjadikan mereka 'Melayu yang berkualiti'. – 8 April, 2014. * Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili pandangan The Malaysian Insider.

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