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MALAYSIA - Students of SMK Datuk Sedia Raja in Rembau, Seremban has several non-Muslim students parents in arms over the fact that their children are required to wear traditional Malay costumes for a school function next month.

It is compulsory at SMK Datuk Sedia Raja for non-Muslim students participating in the school’s certificate presentation ceremony on Nov 5 to wear baju kurung, baju melayu and songkok.

The parents believe it is against their own customs, beliefs and traditional costumes if they allow such move

This is not the first such cases for the school. The school’s Red Crescent Society had compelled non-Muslim female members to wear the tudung during a march.

The parents has submitted a memorandum to the Negri Sembilan Education Department to protest against the school’s decision.

LONDON - Malaysia’s MMC Corp Berhad, Saudi’s Binladin Group and China’s CHALCO are to form a $3 billion worth of joint venture to build a new aluminium smelter and facilities at Jazan Economic City in Saudi Arabia.

The plant will cost an estimated $3 billion and have an annual production capacity of some 1 Mt.

China currently consumed 12 Mt of aluminium and this is projected to increase by 20% per annum. So there is potential for such ventures

CHALCO is the sole producer of alumina in China, the second largest producer of alumina in the world, and among the top five largest producers of aluminium in the world.

MMC is a utilities and infrastructure group with interests in transport and logistics, energy and utilities, and engineering and construction.

SBG was founded in the beginning of the last century by “Al Muaalim” Mohamed Binladin in 1931 as a leading construction company.

MALAYSIA - Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia specialist at Johns Hopkins University in the United States says that Malaysia’s economy has lost its sparkle

He mentioned that Malaysia is spoiled by a diet of state spending and protection and the reforms to revive growth and cut public debt may mean dumping affirmative-action policies that underpin government support.

His studies shows that Malaysia’s growth has faltered this decade and current leadership has yet to embrace ideas of reform such as less protection for majority ethnic Malays.

MALAYSIA - Malaysia’s Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin announced in-line with the nation image as a multi-racial country, Radio and Television Malaysia (RTM) will increase the number of non-Malay programmes

RTM which is the official broadcasting channel of Malaysia has been assigned to add new approach and quality of programmes, so as to attract a more diverse audience

Currently more and more private television stations has overtaken RTM in various ares of the nation TV sector and Zainuddin felt that it’s up to RTM to reflect the racial diversity in the country.

He has asked other agencies under the Information Ministry to assist in promoting the changes made and programmes produced by RTM.

MALAYSIA - Umno would like to change the many Malays mindset that agriculture could be their future

This is in light of the lack of response by Malays getting involved in agriculture who mainly regard it as backward sector

Umno will use the National Agriculture Convention 2007 to switch the Malay mindset to perceive agriculture as a lucrative sector.

Headed by Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who is the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister, the upcoming Seremban, Negeri Sembilan convention is said to be opened by Prime Minister and Umno President Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Some 1200 people is expected to be attending the convention. Umno members, corporate and academic figures will be the main attendee

INDONESIA - Indonesia has accused Malaysians of ripping off their folk song

The song “Rasa Sayang”, or “Feeling of Love”, is used by Malaysian overseas tourism board recently

The Indonesian Tourism and Cultural ministry is now looking for copyright claim and has employed a legal team to take action against Kuala Lumpur.

The dispute comes into light as Indonesia claimed, they were not informed of the usage of the folk song in the commercial use of Malaysia’s tourism promotion campaign

Malaysian Tourism Minister Adnan Mansor now claimed that the song has its origin from both countries and Indonesia has no clam over it

The song in question

Tourism Malaysia’s ‘Rasa Sayang’ song

MALAYSIA - Manjoi, Ipoh has the largest Malay settlement in the country

And there has been strict regulation by the state government not allowing the land there to be sold for quick profit

All that is set to change as Malay land owners can now change their land status from housing to commercial by paying only RM$10

Due to settlement recent growth, conditions was relaxed

This is so to spur the modernisation of the Manjoi cluster, so as to attract locals who has made their fortune elsewhere to come back and help out the their former town

The new regulations covers the wide 560.8ha area which compromise of Kampung Manjoi, Kampung Tengku Hussein, Kampung Sungai Tapah, Kampung Datuk Ahmad Said and Jelapang Baru

SINGAPORE - In his recent Hari Raya annual message, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim who is the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs said that the Malay-Muslim community has continued to make great progress

The spirit of self-help from the community has helped them to see improvement in employment figures, education and harmonious life with other fellow Singaporeans

He also mentioned that family ties is important as it is the pillar to prevent social problems in the community

Dr Yaacob said that dysfunctional families and youth promiscuity are some issued that will be discussed in the upcoming Malay/Muslim Community Leaders Forum

MALAYSIA - Few days ago, saw the return of Malaysia’s first ever astronaut

He’s Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, a 35 year old doctor and part-time model, who was choosen from thousands of hopefuls

Sheikh returned to Earth last Sunday at 1043 GMT after 11 days in space, who landed in Kazakhstan but 200 kilometres off-target

He went up in space with two Russian cosmonauts during the fasting Ramadhan time and a time when Malaysia mark it’s independence

The Russian goverment has extended an invitation to the Malaysian government if it wishes to send another Malaysian to the International Space Station (ISS) in late 2010 or early 2011.

The trip to space cost Malaysia some billion-dollar purchase of 18 Sukhoi 30-MKM fighter jets from Russia

The second proposed trip however will involve direct financing

SINGAPORE - There’s an increasing interest by university students at National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) picking up Malay language modules

Usually the demand for such modules depend on students’ demand.

NTU which introduced the Malay elective in 1995, it has some 250 students who enroll in it annually

While NUS has some 150 students on average taking up the electives

Many students pick up the language as a form to foster inter-cultural communication