Bus consortium gets 100 permits approved

KUCHING: The common vision to see a fleet of brand new buses on the city’s streets is getting clearer now that the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) has approved 100 permits to a consortium, Kuching City Bus Services Sdn Bhd (KCBS), yesterday.

KCBS director of general affairs Dino Bidari said that prompt reaction from the CVLB would result in the new buses being put on the road by early next year.

“In just two days, we have already received 100 permits and our hope now is to see similar fast approval of our loans from SME Bank. If the bank works as fast as CVLB, then we can have the new 35-seater buses on the road by early next year,” he told a news conference here yesterday.
According to Dino, the consortium would inform the bank of this (permit) approval in the hope that the loan approval process would be expedited. It is understood that a 35-seater bus could easily fetch over RM200,000.

Dino also commended CVLB chairman Fadillah Yusof and his staff for a job well done, proof that it was supportive of KCBS efforts to enhance public transportation here.

Meanwhile, KCBS had submitted a transport master plan, which involves stage buses, taxis, chartered vehicles and school bus services in the city to the authority, he said.

The master plan touted the need for interchanges, three if possible, that would assist in relieving traffic congestion in the city.

Dino said that KCBS had already identified an area for the interchange - near 3rd Exchange Commercial Centre - and was still looking for two others. They had identified a tentative site in the Kubah Ria area.

“Chartered vehicles coming from the villages will off load their passengers at the interchange, before they (passengers) board another bus going to the city.”

“This (interchange) will reduce, if not eliminate, traffic congestion, and will prove convenient for passengers as there will be better frequencies given the shorter distance travelled by the buses,” he explained.

Dino said the consortium would also talk with associations of taxis, chartered vehicles and even school buses to see if the plan was feasible, and also see if there were any changes to be made to improve it.

Meanwhile, KCBS director of administration William Chan said that the master plan had been discussed with the State government, which seemed happy that the consortium was looking into restructuring the whole city transport system for the better.

However, for this to happen, everybody had a part to play, he said. Besides the interchange, KCBS was also requesting for a transport hub to integrate everything. Chan said that Kuching City North Commission (DBKU) had pointed out that the traffic flow in the city would soon change given the many on-going projects there, and that it would have to relocate the chartered vehicles waiting area.

“DBKU has not identified a place yet but we have found a suitable location to house all public transport operators, which would be similar to Kuala Lumpur Central,” he said.

However, all these would be subject to approval from the relevant authorities, and also agreement of all parties concerned, he added.

He revealed that KCBS would also be doing a market survey to identify the best mode that would take shorter time for the new buses to operate by.

The Borneo Post

Blitz on firecrackers

KUCHING: A special taskforce will soon be set up to monitor the illegal sale and letting-off of firecrackers and fireworks, said acting State Commissioner of Police SAC I Datuk Abdul Rahman Hussin. Speaking to reporters here yesterday, he assured that enforcement works would continue to ensure that regulations were strictly adhered to.

“A special order will be directed to my men to combat sales and use of firecrackers during this festive season. The existing regulations for such activities are on-going,” he said after receiving Raya goodies from the Social Development and Urbanisation Ministry’s Women Bureau at Wisma Wanita in Semariang near here.

“The people are still not allowed to play firecrackers, not even during Hari Raya Aidilfitri. For fireworks, only certain types are permitted while there are three or four kinds prohibited,” Abdul Rahman added.

Asked what fireworks were banned, Rahman said: “I need to refer to the list with images and names in my office. I cannot recall what they are right now.”

He pointed out that police would heighten patrols besides setting up taskforce in both urban and rural areas to closely monitor sale of firecrackers and letting off of fireworks.

To another question, he said the police had to work together with the Royal Customs to impose stringent checks on all entry points into the State.

“We will work with the Customs to seriously check those entry points. If there is any illegal sale, we will investigate,” he added.

The Borneo Post

Mixed Reaction To Boycott Of Pricier Goods

KUALA LUMPUR,-- There is mixed reaction to the proposal by Cuepacs and MTUC for the public to boycott pricier goods during the festive season.Taxi driver Zahren Zainal, 32, said the boycott would not benefit any party.

"Whether there is a hike or drop in prices of goods, I still have to buy them because they are essential items," he told Bernama here today.He said consumers could save cost by buying pricier goods in small quantities.

However, civil servant Norlaili Ahmad, 51, believed that the boycott could be a lesson for traders who took advantage of the festive season by indiscriminately increasing prices of goods.She said the price hikes burdened consumers, especially the low-income earners."Traders take advantage of the festive season by increasing prices due to high demand for the goods," she added.

Meanwhile, retailer Mohd Ismail Mustapa, 50, said essential items at his shop were sold at normal prices like flour at RM1.90 per kg and RM2.50 for a 1kg packet of cooking oil.He said despite some traders increasing prices, the profit margin was small because business was slow as they had to compete with the hypermarkets which offered goods at more competitive prices."Consumers are smart. They buy their essential needs at hypermarkets which offer goods at bargain price," he added.

Cuepacs and MTUC will be launching the boycott campaign at the Sungai Besi toll plaza tomorrow.Meanwhile, in KOTA KINABALU, the Consumer Association of Sabah and Labuan (Cash) is sceptical that the boycott could curb price increases of essential goods."Such campaigns had been done before, even by Cash, but they failed to meet the objective due to the lack of support from consumers themselves," said its president Datuk Patrick Sindu.

"We notice that most of the goods listed by Cuepacs and MTUC to be boycotted are food items. People consume or use the items on a daily basis. So, for how long can they boycott these essentials?"Nevertheless, we support the campaign," he added.

Sindu said a more effective method to check price hikes would be to "flood" the market with cheap imports, giving local producers and retailers stiff competition and forcing them to sell their goods at reasonable prices.

He also wants Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Mohd Shafie Apdal to be tougher in dealing with the price hikes which were burdening consumers."Don't have to come up with statements like `the government will not hesitate to import food if producers and retailers refuse to cooperate'. Just do it."This will teach them to be more socially responsible and ethical," he said.

-- BERNAMA

Malaysia 44 or 50?

Come Aug 31 our beloved nation will celebrate her 50th birthday, as designated by the federal government. But until today certain quarters are still fervently debating the age of our country. EVERY year as we celebrate National Day on Aug 31, the debate on the actual age of our nation surfaces and it seems to rage with greater intensity than ever.

The federal government designated this year’s National Day celebration as the 50th nniversary of our independence based on Aug 31, 1957 when Malaya gained independence. However, for certain quarters in Sarawak and Sabah, it is inconceivable that Malaysia could be 50 years old this year as the formation of our nation took place on Sept 16, 1963.

The real bone of contention in this argument over the age of Malaysia is the question of whether Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore joined the Federation of Malaya or formed Malaysia, a new nation, with Malaya on Sept 16, 1963. Those who advocate that Malaysia as a nation was actually born on Aug 31, 1957 cited the formation and expansion of the United States of America as a parallel to the formation of Federation of Malaya and its subsequent expansion when Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore joined the federation on Sept 16, 1963.

This is a classic case of comparing an orange with an apple because USA was formed by 13 former colonies of the British Empire on July 5, 1776 after a bloody war of independence and remained as the United States of America despite its expansion through the addition of other states to its federation.

This is not the case with the Federation of Malaya or Malaya as it ceased to exist as a nation when it joined Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore to form Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963. It must be noted that Malaysia was formed through an equal partnership between Federation of Malaya, Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore (which withdrew from Malaysia after two years) it was never a formation of the sovereign nation of Malaya and the three states.

Bearing testimony to this partnership is Sarawak’s autonomous authority on land and immigration as part of the list of special rights of the State would retain in the Federation of Malaysia. An even more ludicrous argument put forward was the claim that Malaysia is actually the alternative name for Malaya citing references of the region around the Malay Peninsular as Malaysia by British Colonial writers in the 1800s and that the concept of the Federation of Malaya when it gained independence was not confined to the Malayan mainland but also the Malaysian regions still under British rule then.

The flaw in this argument is firstly the confusion of Malaysia as a reference to a geographical region with Malaysia as a nation which came into being only Sept 16, 1963. As for the claim that the Federation of Malaya was formed with the plan of including Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore, there is no documentary proof and even if there was it had nothing to do with the three states as they never planned to join the federation.

During the formation of Malaysia, there was never any mention of the three states joining the Federation of Malaya in any of the historical documents signed by all parties. To put to an end this polemic on the actual age of our nation and how it was formed thesundaypost traces the birth of Malaysia through the documents pertaining to its formation signed by all parties and interviewed Datuk Amar James Wong, the only surviving member of the Sarawak delegation of the Malaysia Solidarity Consultative Committee which paved the way for the birth of our nation.

The Malaysian nation was the brainchild of Tunku Abdul Rahman when he was the Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaya. On May 27, 1961 he brought up the subject at a luncheon meeting of Foreign Correspondents Association of South East Asia in Singapore Adelphi Hotel saying “Malaya today as a nation realises that she cannot stand alone and in isolation. Sooner or later she should have an understanding with Britain and the peoples of the territories of Singapore, North Borneo, Brunei and Sarawak.”

That speech set into motion a rapid succession of events that culminated with the birth of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963. The book ‘Formation of Malaysia’ published by the Federal Information Department soon after Malaysia was formed stated in the last paragraph of the section Milestones to Malaysia, ‘So in less than 28 months from the time he put forward his proposal, Tunku Abdul Rahman’s Malaysia plan is realised, uniting 10,000,000 diverse peoples — Malays, Ibans, Land Dayaks, Melanaus, Dusuns and Kadazans, Muruts and Bajaus, Chinese and Indians — in a new nation dedicated to justice, peace and prosperity, in pursuit of freedom and happiness for all.’

In his report for the Commission of Enquiry to visit Sarawak and Sabah and setting out Terms of Reference for the formation of Malaysia Lord Cobbold stated in article 10 of his findings that the name of the Federation shall be Malaysia.

No one is in a better position to talk about the formation of Malaysia from the Sarawak perspective than Datuk Amar James Wong, the former Deputy Chief Minister of the State. When thesundaypost interviewed him at his office, Wong was adamant that Malaysia is 44 years old as he involved personally in the negotiations and consultations leading to the birth of Malaysia.

“I remember Sept 16, 1963 very well. I was in Kuala Lumpur when the agreement on the formation of Malaysia was signed. After the signing I flew straight to New York with Rajaratnam, one of the Singapore representatives, to attend the 18th session of the United Nations as representative of Malaysia.’

Referring himself jokingly as ‘the last of the Mohicans’ Wong said he is the only surviving member of the Sarawak delegation to the Malaysia Solidarity Consultative Committee.

“I was directly involved in the negotiations on the rights of the State and you can quote me in stating that we never joined Malaysia, we formed Malaysia.”

Wong who wrote several books on diverse subjects also published a book ‘The Birth of Malaysia’ in 1993 in which he reprinted historical documents pertaining to the formation of Malaysia.

In the first two paragraphs of his introduction he wrote: “Our 30th year of Independence within Malaysia would be a fitting time and occasion to remind all Sarawakians of our great heritage and as to why and how Malaysia came about.

“This is particularly true of the younger generation, especially those in their mid-forties and below, who were then too young when Malaysia was formed, to grasp and understand the implications. But what all Malaysians in Sarawak must know and understand is that — We did not enter Malaysia, but we formed Malaysia together with North Borneo, (now Sabah) Singapore and Malaya.”

Anyone wishing to find out more about the positions of Sarawak and Sabah within the federation should read this book as it contains reprinted historical documents and reports and a chronology of events that led to the formation of Malaysia.

There should never have been any debate on the age of Malaysia as there are ample irrefutable documents that prove that the birth of our nation is Sept 16, 1963. While Sarawakians and Sabahans rejoice with our fellow citizens in Semenanjung Malaysia in celebrating the Federation of Malaya’s 50th anniversary of independence from British rule, we cannot distort history by confusing it with the birth of Malaysia.

There is more at stake than the quibble over the dates of the birth of our nation for Sarawakians and Sabahans as accepting Sept 16, 1963 as the birthday of Malaysia means the two states formed Malaysia as equal partners with the Federation of Malaya while accepting Aug 31, 1957 implies we joined the Federation of Malaya.

The latter date could mean the rights of the State were temporary conditions granted by the Federation of Malaya while recognising Sept 16, 1963 clearly states that the two states joined as equal partners in the formation of Malaysia and their special rights are entrenched in the agreement on her formation.

Happy Birthday Malaysia, but is it 44 or 50?

The Borneo Post

Complex will be famous

KUCHING: Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud envisions that the new state-of-the-art State Legislative Assembly (DUN) complex here will be as famous as other iconic architectures in some parts of the world.

“I am confident that the new complex will contribute a lot to the state’s tourism industry just as some iconic architectures in some cities like the Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa and Sydney Opera House,” he said when officiating at the topping-up ceremony (pouring concrete onto the eighth floor) of the complex yesterday. Located opposite Kuching Waterfront and strategically located atop a hill on the bank of Sungai Sarawak the building is scheduled to be completed by early next year.

As such, Taib was confident that both locals and tourists would be attracted to the complex. He said he was thankful that with the building of the complex he was able to fulfill the demands of state assemblymen who had grown in number and increased workload over the years.

The building’s architects and designers had meticulously taken into account the future needs of elected representatives, and they had done their utmost to depict the state’s struggles and achievements over the years after gaining independence.

Taib said the building elements reflected the character of the people, their unity and sovereignty of the state.

As to why a new DUN complex was needed, the Speaker Dato Sri Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar cited architectural wisdom as well as practical reasons.

Echoing the Chief Minister’s comments, he described the complex as an “icon” and “landmark” made of “stone and glass” which “would represent our rain forest and local cultures”.

“For instance, the 47 arches look like tree branches, which in turn, support a soaring roof that reaches 114 meters,” Asfia said.

Branching from solid columns, these arches merge with intricate floor beams, which “symbolises the people and the democratic system that it upholds”.

The RM296-million DUN chamber itself is located above the atrium and is spread over three floors. Floor-to-ceiling height tops at 27 meters or equivalent to seven storeys.

“Most parliaments in the Commonwealth are located either on a hill or a river. Ours will be on both. It will become an icon.”

In saying this, Asfia also noted that Sarawak’s legislative assembly was the oldest in Malaysia, dating back to Sept 8, 1867.

“The locations have shifted. Ramshackle buildings have been replaced with new ones. The present DUN complex which was built in 1976 was designed to house 48 members. After 31 years, membership has increased to 71,” Asfia said, adding that despite numerous renovations, there were calls for a new building.

The new complex will hold up to 108 members, each having his or her own office, which Taib said could be sufficient for “the next 100 years”.

Other notable features of the DUN complex include a parade ground beside the water front, a State banquet hall (that will hold 1,000), and car park for 315 cars. All these are spread within a 172-acre site.

“The DUN building portrays strength and stability through interplays of glass and stone,” Asfia said.

“Thirty years on, as Malaysia places greater emphasis on creating a knowledge-based nation, the DUN needs to represent an integration of information and communication technologies to increase efficiency and productivity.”

Among those present during the ceremony were Deputy Chief Ministers Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan and Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, Datuk Amar Puan Sri Laila Taib, assistant ministers, and elected representatives.

The Borneo Post

16 Landfills To Be Closed Down - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, -- The government plans to close down 16 landfills deemed to be in "critical" condition soon, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.He said the facilities, mostly located in the Klang Valley, would be closed at a cost of RM160 million using environment-friendly and safe methods.Najib said the government had appointed a consultant to look into the exercise and would select companies to carry out the job.

"We want to close the landfills soon but it all depends on when the contracts are awarded and the amount of time needed," he said.Najib told reporters this after launching the environment-friendly rehabilitation of Taman Beringin landfill and its leachate treatment plant in Jinjang here today. Asked when the contracts to the successful companies would be awarded, he said: "I think probably by next year we should be ready to award the contracts."

Najib also said that early education was important to ensure that Malaysians had the right attitude vis-a-vis waste disposal."It has to come in the form of public education. In developed countries, people separate the household waste they generate. We haven't done so yet but we're coming to that stage," he said.To a question, Najib said the government was keen on using incinerators for waste disposal provided the technology was suitable.

Opened in 1994, the 14ha Taman Beringin landfill was officially closed on March 15 2006 after it was found to have been polluting the environment.Cypark Sdn Bhd, which has been tasked with overseeing the closure of the site, plans to reinvent it as a recreational centre for the public.Najib commended the company for having developed its own expertise in this field."I hope that Taman Beringin will serve as a redevelopment model that can be emulated by other local governments," he added.

-- BERNAMA

89 Dead In Phuket Air Crash

BANGKOK, -- The death toll from yesterday's air crash in Phuket has risen to 89 as six people remain in critical condition at three hospitals on this resort island.Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla said four of the injured had more than 50 per cent burns.He said healthcare experts, including pathologists, had been flown to Phuket to assist in the treatment of the injured and undertaking DNA testing.

"We've already completed 30 to 40 DNA tests. We have expertise in body identification after the tsunami (in 2004)," he told reporters at the Don Muang Airport here today.All the DNA tests would be completed within two days, he said, adding that the Foreign Ministry would make arrangements to send the bodies of foreign victims to their respective countries with the assistance of foreign embassies here.

The One-Two-Go plane from Bangkok to Phuket was carrying 123 passengers, mostly foreign tourists, and seven crew members when it skidded off the runway after landing during heavy rain.Both the Indonesian pilot and his Thai co-pilot were killed.Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said the government would provide assistance to the survivors and victims' families.

"I've already told the relevant agencies to provide all the help to those affected," he said after meeting relatives of the victims at Don Muang Airport.Surayud also stressed that the country's aviation industry was of international standards and the tragedy would not affect its image.The Airports of Thailand (AOT) said it would reopen the Phuket International Airport at 5pm today after temporarily closing it for relief work.

However, several airlines flying to Phuket said they would not sell any tickets until further confirmation from AOT, and instead told passengers to fly to Krabi and take a two-hour drive to Phuket.

A Thai Airways official said seven flights to Phuket had been cancelled while all tickets to Krabi were sold out.Airlines such as Nok Air, Thai AirAsia and One-Two-Go said they were not selling any tickets to Phuket until late in the evening.

-- BERNAMA

Women in civil service can take 5yrs off to raise kids (updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: Women civil servants can now take a total of up to five years unpaid leave to look after their children. Apart from the 90 days' maternity leave, they can opt to take an accumulation of five years unpaid leave from work to take care of their children. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who announced this after opening the 12th Civil Service Conference here on Monday, said Cabinet had approved this last week.

"The current (maternity) leave is for 90 days, but some may decide their priority in life is to take care of the children -- this would allow them to do so," he said. At present, female civil servants can take maternity leave of 60 days with full pay a maximum of five times during their service.

After the 60 days, they can opt for 90 days' unpaid leave to look after the child. The unpaid leave must start on the 61st day, and any portion of the 90 days not used is automatically forfeited. This unpaid leave can be taken five times during their service.

"The leave can be staggered, which means they can take one or two years for the first child, and another one or two years for the subsequent child (any way) not exceeding five years," he said after opening the conference.

The conference, themed "Enhancing National Competitiveness Through Effective Implementation," was organised by the Malaysian Administrative and Diplomatic Service Association and National Institute of Public Administration (Intan). Najob said that those who opted for the five years leave would get three notional increments, and so only lose out on two increments.

"The three notional increments will be given within the five years as an increment to the salary they were getting before they took the long leave. "For example, if the notional increment is RM50 for a certain post, at the end of the five years they would have receive RM150 on top of their salary, once they return to work," he said.

Najib said the five-year cap was imposed because longer absence from work would affect the civil servants' competency and manpower planning.

"We want to provide this flexibility for women in the civil service who want to give more attention to the care of their children.

"This is in line with the Government’s emphasis on the early education of children," he added.
Najib said he had proposed this three weeks ago while launching a women's seminar, and congratulated the Public Services Department for quickly preparing a Cabinet paper on the matter.

The Star

Two more theme parks coming up

SIBU: The Sibu BN Visionary Development Team will build at least two more theme gardens here under the Ninth Malaysia Plan - The Music and Food Village Garden and World Flower Garden.

“The proposed Music and Food Village Garden will be funded by the Ministry of Tourism at a cost of about RM3 million. It will be sited on an area about 30 acres.

“Once completed unique features of the major races here - Chinese, Malay-Melanau and Dayak – will be represented at the garden It will be large enough to accommodate big festivals and functions such as the music festival and Borneo Cultural Festival,” said Lau who is also Sibu Member of Parliament.

He however did not disclose the exact location of the proposed garden. The World Flower Garden meanwhile would be built under Phase III of Sibu Lake Garden (extension), and would cost about RM4.50 million to complete.

“This third phase of the Sibu Lake Garden extension project has in fact been tendered out at a cost of RM4.50 million. It is built based on the world flower gardens in Bali and Japan where flowers from all over the world are found.

He said that the State government had alienated the about 100-acre Lake Garden to Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) so that it could beautify the recreational area for the benefit of the people here.

“As such, we must be thankful to the BN government which has the people’s welfare at heart, and stand solidly behind the Sibu BN Visionary Development Team led by Second Minister of Finance and Minister of Urban Development and Tourism Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh.

“We must not listen to the opposition parties who only know how to criticise the policies of the government. To them, everything the (BN) government does is wrong.”

Lau also called on the people here to be involved in the tourism-related businesses because the tourism industry here was going to be the star attraction in the near future. The BN Visionary Development Team had planned many tourism projects to include The Riveria City, which was meant to attract smart, rich and famous foreigners here.

To the orgainsers of Permai Festival 2007, he congratulated them for their success in organising the three-day event (Aug 31 to Sept 2), which had attracted a huge crowd comprising locals and outsiders.

He later flagged off the final race of the day - Radio Control Power Boat at the lake before he presented prizes to the winners.

The Sibu team captained by Andrew Ling Ching Ping emerged as overall champion in the Radio Control Power Boat Race, which was also participated by teams from from Kapit, Miri and Bintulu.

The Borneo Post

Mukhriz: Dr Mahathir Will Undergo Planned Operation

KUALA LUMPUR, Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, 81, is in good health and had made plans to undergo a second coronary bypass operation Tuesday, his son Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said.

He said his father was admitted to the National Heart Institute here Sunday to undergo the operation and not because he suffered another heart attack.Speaking to reporters in the hospital lounge, Mukhriz said Dr Mahathir was fine and spoke with his family members as usual today.

Dr Mahathir will be operated on by a team of surgeons led by Tan Sri Dr Yahya Awang who did the first bypass operation on him in January 1989.

-- BERNAMA

Never too old to learn

THE pursuit of knowledge knows no boundaries, and Muar-born Jamalodin Rustam proved the point when he obtained a certificate in Post-Basic Haemodialysis at 60.The course by the National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia covers end-stage kidney failure.

“I am happy and grateful to receive the certificate on the eve of Malaysia’s 50th Merdeka celebration,” said Jamalodin on Thursday.

“Graduating is my way of celebrating this auspicious moment.” The course was conducted from May to August by four NKFM tutors and a panel of nephrologists from government and private hospitals.“I’ve found new confidence in knowing that I’ve pursued my dreams. I couldn’t further my studies in my younger years, as I was too busy working,” said the father of four.

Jamalodin had worked as a medical assistant at the Armed Forces Hospital in Terendak Camp, Malacca, for 21 years.He then moved to military training at the camp from 1981 to 1986, before leaving the army in 1987 and joining the Malaysian Red Crescent Society branch in Pulau Bidong, Terengganu, as its medical officer.In 1992, Jamalodin took up a job as medical assistant at a KTM Berhad clinic in Ipoh. From 1997 to 2005 he served Fomema as a medical assistant.

“When my wife found out that I wanted to take up the course, she was shocked,” he said.“She thought that I wouldn’t be able to handle it at my age. However, my daughters, sons and son-in-law supported me.”As Jamalodin has achieved his goal, he encourages elderly people to take up further studies.

“There’s no shame in pursuing knowledge to better yourself.”Why did Jamalodin choose the course in the first place?“I’ve seen many kidney patients suffering. I want to teach them how to care for their kidneys.”Jamalodin said that the course was not easy for him initially. “In the first two months, I found the learning process difficult, but I managed to adapt and catch on.

“My classmates were supportive and respected me for the effort I put into my studies despite my age.” —

The Malay Mail