Pandelela selamat maruah negara

Aksi terjunan Pandelela Rinon

Komitmen dan disiplin yang tinggi mampu meletakkan penerjun negara Pandelela Rinong di tahap kejayaannya sekarang, kata pengarah Majlis Sukan Negeri Sarawak (MSNS), Francis Nyurang Ding.

Penerjun berusia 19 tahun dari Kampung Jugan, Bau itu mengakhiri penantian enam hari kontinjen negara untuk mengutip pingat pertamanya di Sukan Universiti Dunia 2011 (Universaide) di Shenzhen pada Khamis.

Pandelela mempamerkan persembahan terbaiknya dalam acara 10m platform individu wanita untuk merangkul pingat perak dan dalam proses itu muncul sebagai penerjun pertama Malaysia untuk naik ke podium di Universiade.

Pandelela mencatatkan 381,75 mata untuk berada di belakang penerjun dari Mexico, Paola Espinosa yang juga jara dunia pada tahun 2009, yang memenangi pingat emas dengan kutipan 385,25 mata.

Ia mungkin kutipan emas untuk Malaysia tetapi Pandelela melakukan kesilapan pada terjunan kedua tetapi kembali memperbaiki persembahannya pada terjunan dalam terjunan ketiga (78,40) dan keempat (84,80).

"Ia adalah satu lagi pencapai cemerlang daripada Pandelela dan bagi saya gadis itu memiliki komitmen dan tahap disiplin yang sangat tinggi.

"Itulah kekuatannya dan saya amat berbangga dengan pencapaiannya itu," kata Nyurang, dan menambah bahawa beliau gembira kerana usaha MSNS menggilap atlet itu menghasilkan kejayaan yang membanggakan.

Menurut Nyurang, pencapaian berterusan Pandelela membuktikan bahawa atlet itu mempunyai segalanya untuk bersaing dalam acara sukan bermutu tinggi itu.

Nyurang turut memuji pencapaian seorang lagi penerjun dari Sarawak, Bryan Nickson Lomas yang menduduki tempat kelima dalam 3m papan anjal pada Rabu lalu.

"Kedua-dua mereka (Pandelela dan Bryan) telah menunjukkan persembahan yang konsisten dan harus dicontohi oleh atlet-atlet Sarawak yang lain.

"Saya berharap lebih ramai lagi atlet dari Sarawak akan mengikuti jejak langkah Pandelela dan Bryan untuk cemerlang di pentas antarabangsa," kata Nyurang.

Ditanya sama ada Sarawak mempunyai penerjun pelapis untuk mengganti Pandelela dan Bryan apabila kedua-dua penerjun itu bersara, Nyurang berkata: “Kita mempunyai ramai penerjun muda berpotensi tetapi tahap mereka ketika ini masih terlalu jauh berbanding Pandelela dan Bryan.”

Katanya, penerjun-penerjun terbabit menjalani latihan di bawah program pembangunan sukan berprestasi tinggi MSNS dan di Bukit Jalil di bawah kendalian Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN).

"Mereka masih memerlukan masa untuk memperbaiki persembahan masing-masing dan mudah-mudahan di antara mereka akan muncul penyelam berkaliber seperti Pandelela dan Bryan," katanya.

Pandelela mengesahkan pingat perak milik Malaysia dengan 76,80 mata.

Pandelela, yang telah layak awal untuk Sukan Olimpik London dalam acara yang sama di Kejohanan Dunia di Shanghai bulan lepas, gembira kerana Berjaya memenangi pingat pertama bagi Malaysia.

Pandela sebelum berlepas ke Shenzhen pernah menyatakan bahawa dia tidak meletakkan sasaran pingat pada kerana menyangka ia akan menjadi sukar disebabkan kebanyakan penerjun yang mengambil bahagian pada Kejohanan Dunia terus berada di China untuk mempersiapkan diri untuk Universaide.
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"Tourism Gawai" di Kampung Annah Rais 3 September

Rumah Panjang Annah Rais menjadi tumpuan pelancong asing.

Rumah Panjang Kampung Annah Rais di Padawan, 65 km dari pusat Bandar raya Kuching akan menjadi tuan rumah perayaan Gawai Dayak peringkat negeri anjuran Pelancongan Malaysia (Sarawak) dan Kementerian Pelancongan dan Warisan Sarawak.

Pengerusi penganjurnya, Edward Kurik berkata, perayaan yang yang lebih dikenali dengan nama “Gawai Pelancongan” itu akan berlangsung pada 3 September depan bertujuan untuk mempromosi kebudayaan dan tradisi masyarakat Bidayuh di kawasan Padawan.

Menurut Kurik, festival itu memberi peluang kepada pelancongan mengenali keunikan kebudayaan kaum Bidayuh serta tarian dan permainan tradisi mereka.

“Banyak kebudayaan dan tradisi kaum Bidayuh yang boleh para pelancong pelajari di festival itu nanti,” kata Kurik.

Agensi yang turut terbabit dalam penganjuran festival itu ialah Majlis Perbandaran Padawan (MPP) dan Jawatankuasa Pembangunan dan Keselamatan Kampung Annah Rais.

Kurik berkata, program pertukaran kebudayaan akan turut diadakan apabila penduduk Kampung Annah Rais  menerima kunjungan tetamu mereka dari Kampung Semban.

“Kumpulan kebudayaan Kampung Semban akan turut bersama untuk mempersembahkan keunikan kebudayaan mereka yang sedikit perbezaan dengan kebudayaan penduduk Kampung Annah Rais.

Kurik berkata, persembahan kebudayaan akan diadakan pada sebelah petang sementara konsert oleh artis-artis tempatan akan berlangsung pada sebalah malam, 3 September.

Katanya, festival itu akan dirasmikan oleh Timbalan Menteri Pelancongan Malaysia, Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit dan akan turut dihadiri semua wakil rakyat kaum Bidayuh.

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DAP and PKR women against Obedient Wives Club

SEX lessons to help wives “serve their husbands better than a first-class prostitute” will be among the courses provided by the Obedient Wives Club (OWC) to help promote harmonious marriages and counter social ills.

Its vice president Dr Rohaya Mohamad was quoted as saying sexual prowess took a front seat in marriage beyond the traditional “good mother or good cook” roles.

“A good or religious wife is also sexually good in bed,” she told reporters after the launch of the club's Malaysian chapter at the Perangsang Templer Golf Club in Rawang on June 4.

In Kuching the club had its soft opening two weeks at the MJC Batu Kawah New Township, which has received strong criticism from the DAP and PKR Women’s Wings.

Batu Kawah Assemblywoman Christina Chiew at a joint press conference with the PKR Women’s Wing slammed the formation of the club here and regarded it as degrading the women status in the society.

She said the formation of the club will not help to solve marriage problem as such problems could only be solve between husband and wife.

Thus, they urged women in Kuching not to support the cub so that the club could die naturally.

“Sex is not the main reason that caused divorce but it can also happen due to financial problem and lack of responsibility on the part of the spouses,” she explained.

Meanwhile Nurhanim Dato Haji Mokshen said the establishment of the club will provide the opportunity for husbands to blame their wives.

“Huband and wife plays equal roles and sex is not everything in marriage,” she said, adding that religious play a very important roles in marriage.

Thus, Nurhanim also urged all other women’s bodies to oppose the formation of the club.

Dr Rohaya, who was a medical doctor for 15 years in the Health Ministry before taking a leadership role in the club had said that a husband who was kept happy in the bedroom would have no reason to stray or seek out prostitutes or indulge in other social vices,

She also believed that social ills like prostitution, domestic violence, human trafficking and abandoned babies are problems stemmed from unfulfilled sexual needs at home.

The club would also offer counselling and lecture sessions for wives, husbands or couples.

The Malaysian chapter had around 800 members while its Jordan chapter had 200, with the Indonesian chapter was launched on June 19 in Jakarta.

OWC and the Polygamy Club was formed by Global Ikhwan Sdn Bhd, an organization founded by former members of the banned Al-Arqam Islamic group.
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Should prostitution be legalised?

Legalised prostitution cannot deter rape and cannot justified married man to go for prostitution too, says a local female 

lawyer who is very much against the legalization of prostitution in the country.

Voon (second from the right) expressing her points. 

Seen on  her left is Christine Liew the State Assembly 

Women for Batu Kawah and PKR Sarawak Women's Chief 

Nurhanim Dato Haji Mokshen    

Voon Shiak Ni even posed the question on ‘whether prostitution should be legalised’ in her face book to get comments from members of the public.

She made a comment in response to her lawyer colleague who had during his mitigation for a case involving prostitution had mentioned that prostitution should be legalised and that legalisation can deter rape.

“Within 24 hours there are about 30 suggestions and comments in writing and some called up. I also discussed the matter 

with friends and some other lawyers.

“Most people objected to the legalisation of the trade of flesh as it will cause more social ills, family problems and the spread of sexual diseases at home,” she added.

Voon said of course there are some who said might as well legalise it since prostitution is already in our society and cannot be wipe out and make it mandatory for prostitutes to go for medical check-up.

 “But who can ensure the medical check-up regulation can be observed strictly and by the time the problem is detected, sexual disease might had spread to many,” she said.

Voon said she attended a course on “How to curb AIDS” under a United Nation Development Plan to help Malaysia curb the spread of AIDS and during the their workshop they came to the conclusion that AIDS actually spread from home.

“Sexual diseases spread silently and before you know it had passed to those with you,” she added.

She said legalising prostitution will definitely give rise to more demand and this will also lead to women and child trafficking, while legalisation of prostitution is directly a conformation what women are sex objects.

Hence, it will not eradicate illegal prostitution but continue to mushroom the trade, she added.

She said it will also cause violence against women and child prostitution will increase as well as causing marriage and family problems.

“Morally it is not encouraged too and legalising it actually degrade women and our society has to understand that no women would love to be prostitute if there are better choice in life.

“Furthermore, prostitutes are mostly controlled by pimps and many went through abuse and humiliation beyond anyone’s imagination, and some could be beaten up, drugged and even forced to serve a lot of customers and suffered under sadistic customers too.

“No women would want to be humiliated in any way and our society should be encourage to respect women because we love our mothers, wives, daughters and sisters,” she stressed.

Voon pointed out that there was research to support the contention by legalizing prostitution can deter rape.

She said that rape is more about power over weaker sex and not about having sex.

“It’s a form of violence over women and we don’t believe legalization prostitution can stop rape.

“And to give a fair comment to all men, men looking for sex will not necessarily go to the extent to rape and harm a girl,” she added.

She further stressed that legalised prostitution cannot deter rape and cannot justified married man to go for prostitution too.

“We cannot be encouraging young people to seek sex when they should be studying and building their careers,” she concluded.

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Bidayuh Cultural and Food Festival is back

The popular Bidayuh Cultural and Food Festival 2011 will be held at Kampung Bidayuh Taman Tunku, Miri on August 27.

The Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) Miri Branch chairman Captain Bernard Idit said among the food and delicacies on sale at the festival are ‘pangkang’ (glutinous rice in bamboo), ’assam’ (chicken rice in bamboo) and ‘tiribuh’ or 

‘pansuh’ (bamboo chicken/fish) and ‘tuak’ (rice wine) just to name a few.

“Also on sale will be various handicrafts such as ‘lubok’ (rattan basket) and sun hat which are synonymous with the different Bidayuh areas and villages in the predominantly Bidayuh areas in Kuching and Samarahan Divisions,” he said.

Bernard said the annual festival will show case Bidayuh culture, traditions, arts, handicrafts, heritage and delicacies.

Booths will be set up to sell various Bidayuh delicacies and cultural items, he added.

Coupons priced at RM10 per book are on sale and can be obtained from Rojo Cornas (013-8334277), caroline Siburat (013-8398439) or Francis Menden (019-8845454). Fellow Bidayuh who intend to operate the boots can call any of the organizing committee for the details.

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