Category: Events

“AVOID RACISM AND RELIGOUS BIGOTRY: WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT NEW MALAYSIA?”

By Zaliha Binti Idris

MALAYSIA is a multi-ethnic nation, with a predominately Muslim populace. Allegations of bigotry come from racial inclinations epitomized inside the social and money related strategy of the Malaysian government, as appropriately as more extensive pressures between quantities of ethnic gatherings. The possibility of Malay matchless quality is normal in the political circle by numerous Malays. Separation is broad, freely showed and acknowledged,going from suggested ethnic matchless quality to strict bigotry (Hong-Hai Lim,2007).

Image result for racism versus islamophobia in malaysia
Image Credit: Berita Harian, 4 November 2018. Retrived on 13 November 2019, from https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/kes/2018/11/494558/himpunan-bantah-icerd-berlangsung-aman.

Around 179 countries have confirmed the Global Show on the Disposal of All Types of Racial Separation (ICERD), be that as it may, Malaysia isn’t one of them (Norshahril Saat, 2018). The specialists of the day had demonstrated an availability to confirm ICERD, anyway presently can’t seem to do as such because of the convention’s contention with the Malaysian constitution and the race and strict standards in Malaysia that had set up since its autonomy in 1957.

Islam in Malaysia is spoken to by utilising the Shafi’ie model of Sunni philosophy and the act of any extraordinary type of the religion like Shia is vigorously limited by the administration. The constitution makes Malaysia a mainstream nation and guarantees opportunity of religion, while sorting out Islam as the religion of the Alliance to symbolise its criticalness to Malaysian culture. Malaysian Chinese practice Mahayana Buddhism and run of the mill Taoism. Hindu is rehearsed by methods for most of Malaysian Indians. Christianity has built up itself in certain networks, essentially in Sabah and Sarawak. It isn’t attached to a specific ethnic gathering.

Image Credit: Bernama, 12 Disember 2018. Retrieved on 13 November 2019, from https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/2018/12/12/perhimpunan-jalanan-demonstrasi-hanya-kes-terpencil-rakyat-malaysia-kekal-bersatu/

Relations between exceptional strict gatherings are usually really tolerant, despite the fact that individuals from the diverse ethnic associations do tend to have more noteworthy homogeneous private relations, fundamentally dependent on ethnicity and religion. Different bunches have been set up to endeavor to advance strict handle among the uncommon gatherings, with strict amicability saw as a need through Malaysian government officials.

For instance, both UMNO and PAS have resolved to be additional elite, and have confirmed that deliberately they had been never again support to sit around idly on non-Malay and non-Muslim votes. Be that as it may, it is very danger in political games and it re-underscore how edgy each UMNO and PAS have end up being in its attempt to hold onto the government specialists (Pakatan Harapan), by means of playing the passionate race and religion cards. Both these gatherings – one a race-based festival and the diverse an Islamic festival – are in risk of bringing us down the elusive way. Another Malaysia has come to fruition. A Malaysian likes to proceed and it is better that UMNO and PAS offer themselves as a decision that is inestimable and believable.

Credit Image: FMT Reporters, 4 May 2017. Retrieved on 13 Nov 2019, from https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2017/05/04/pakatan-harapan-invites-public-to-submit-logo-design/.

The Malays people have been defrauded because of their own conviction which has made them be marked as racists even as they endeavour to advocate their privileges. Different races which undertaking the Malays and which chat on the privileges of their races are never again alluded to as racists on the establishment of human rights. Are Malays or Muslims to be destroyed from seeing the world and suffocated in the trademark of the ‘Malaysia Baru’ race? Malays acknowledge this predetermination due to their Islamic confidence. In the event that Malays didn’t typify Islam, much the same as different races, they would now not be marked racists. PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang had expressed Muslims have been the “greatest foes” of the colonizers right up ’til today while referring to the records of Malaysia’s colonization.

The compassionate nature and proclaiming of all humankind brought by methods for Islam enabled the Malays to easily acknowledge the appearance of the Chinese, Indians and others with the guide of the colonizers who acquainted their motivation with make issues in the multi-strict and multi-racial network, to amplify their hold on financial interests. These had put Malays and other Bumiputera people group in country regions to rely upon farming and away from the monetary focuses of the towns. They have been not able snare up with different races post-autonomy despite stipulations in the Government Constitution to protect privileges of Malay and Bumiputera.

The recent controversial Malay Dignity Congress confirmed the upward push of the Malays comprising more than a few political leanings, NGO, lecturers and graduates. The congress had sought Malay rights that have been allegedly challenged and oppressed, besides any show of enmity in the direction of other races. Only Malays that are too dull and weak spiritually lose their identification in their own land. Instead of tearing the country apart, with fictional fears, citizens favour to see what it can offer to convey Malaysia to the high stage and get recognise from the global. It is very interesting how Malaysians get truly worked up when it comes to racial and religious issues in the country.

Even though, the Malays keep political power, they cannot without problems have an impact on financial changes in an ecosystem of political freedom and competitive economics that is unethical and undignified. The current scenario is being influenced with the aid of the party of an intense race to achieve political strength which seems via democracy that is influenced by excessive racist behaviour and very ungrateful to the deeds of the Malay-Muslims towards them. If Malay- Muslims had been surely racists, they would now not have allowed the Chinese, Indians and others citizenship’s, financial control, political rights to come to be parliamentarians, Menteri Besar or Chief Ministers has the freedom to exercise their religions. The recent controversial Malay Dignity Congress confirmed the upward push of the Malays comprising more than a few political leanings, NGO, lecturers and graduates.

The congress had sought Malay rights that have been allegedly challenged and oppressed, besides any show of enmity in the direction of other races. Only Malays that are too dull and weak spiritually lose their identification in their own land. Instead of tearing the country apart, with fictional fears, citizens favor to see what it can offer to convey Malaysia to the high stage and get recognise from the global. It is very interesting how Malaysians get truly worked up when it comes to racial and religious issues in the country.

References

Hong-Hai Lim (2007). “Ethnic Representation in the Malaysian Bureaucracy: The Development and Effects of Malay Domination”. International Journal of Public Administration.

Norshahril Saat (16 December 2018). “Commentary: Malaysia’s anti-ICERD rally a reality check for Pakatan Harapan”. Channel NewsAsia.

“Racism has poisoned Malaysian politics for far too long”. The National. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2019.

Virginia Matheson Hooker, Norani Othman (2003). Malaysia: Islam, society and politics. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

Westerlund, David (1996). Questioning the secular state: the worldwide resurgence of religion in politics

DORAEMON: JAPAN’S SYMBOL OF CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

by Mohd Rafi Awang Senik

Japan as one of the country in the world who had enormous producing of anime and game characters. The market for its anime and games had been tremendous accepted and flourished around the globe. Furthermore, Japan as the core country existed with the advancement of technology and development (Adhikary, 2015). Hence, it could penetrate and influence other country in the perspective of cultural diplomacy.  Cultural diplomacy is a part of public diplomacy. Diplomacy itself is an effort to gain the national interest in international society and to have foreign relations (Kim, 2017).  Diplomacy is an effort to struggle its national interest through cultural dimension, such as education, science, sport, art, and other (Warsito & Kartikasari, 2007).

In this paper context, Doraemon one of the examples from many types of Japanese anime that have a popularity and famous worldwide. Doraemon is a Japanese anime series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. In early publication, the series only in printing method and appeared for the first time in 1969 in Children’s Monthly Magazine in Japan. Before the series was took part in television series, the English translation came out for comic version. Animated series in television was debuted on 1973 by Nippon Television (Miho, 2014).

Why Doraemon anime as a part of Japanese Public Diplomacy? According to (Snow, 2009) , the countries now impress others with their soft power potential. These include of science, art, culture, sport, education and other things. If we look from the Doraemon anime series, every angle of Japanese culture been portrayed from its family relationship, varieties of food, school environment and positives side of Japan. This image portrayed as a representative image of Japan to the international world (Adhikary, 2015).

In one study conducted by (Kartikasari, 2018) stated that Doraemon as an anime ambassador through the International Anime Award in 2008. It was recognized by the Japanese Foreign Minister on that time because of the big influence of Doraemon. This recommendation and decision made by the Committee of Pop-Culture Experts and the Japanese Cartoon Association with the collaboration with Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA) and Ministry of Culture of Japan (Kartikasari, 2018).

The appointment of Doraemon as the anime ambassador, the Japanese government hope that the world community can know the positive side of Japan through the Japanese anime. In addition, it could promote and introduce Japan to the world since it one of successful example of creative global industry. The government of Japan also hope that the presence of Doraemon raises the attractiveness of foreign society towards Japanese culture, tradition, music and technology. All this then formed a fans community that also spread in Asia and America (Kartikasari, 2018).

Source from: (MOFA, 2018)
Source from: (MOFA, 2018)

According to (Nye, 2005), in order to co-opt other groups and parties, the element of attraction is essential. Soft power is the ability to attract, and attraction often leads to acquiescence. Based on this statement, we could see how other foreign countries accepting the Japanese sources like anime, fashion, work culture and food in the local values. In Malaysia, the vision of Look East Policy has been chanted long time ago by Dato’ Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia Prime Minister. This to imitate how successful Japanese work ethics could be implement and practice in Malaysia (MOFA, 2002).

In Doraemon series also we look how the father’s role in the family as a leader or someone that hardworking and dedicated to his work. This has been portrayed how the cartoon wearing the office suit and sometimes coming back home in late time because of office’s work. Japan uses its anime as their public diplomacy actually because in this modern era, people tend to see the global condition by using simple way and also communication by using modern ways as media device (Mori, 2018).

Media is the place for getting the information or issues and also media can be used or giving the responds towards issues and information. It fits with the public diplomacy theory which is said by the U.S Department of State, Dictionary of International Relations Terms 1987 (PublicDiplomacy.org, 2016), Public diplomacy refers to government-sponsored programs intended to inform or influence public opinion in other countries. Its chief instruments are publications, motion pictures, cultural exchanges, radio and television.

Even the series mostly translated into the respective language in specific country, but the environment and message from the animation could be understood and digested. This effectiveness can be seen from the number of foreign students studying Japanese language for example. According to (Mori, 2018) when the anime features particular places as locations. The locations not only get to the viewers’ heart, but also motivate their behavior to visit there. Hence, develop P2P (People to People) diplomacy through international exchange between foreigners and local people. P2P diplomacy involves all the ways in which governments and private individuals, organizations and groups influence foreign policy directly and indirectly (Mori, 2018).

To improve Japanese figures abroad, MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan) took the policy by organizing several programs to attract people in other countries. The purpose of these programs actually to enhance the image, enhance mutual trust and respect for the Japanese government and its society. MOFA and Japan Foundation as the actor of public diplomacy to executes programs and strengthening their objectives in enhancing to promote of learning Japanese and culture (MOFA, 2018).

The Doraemon series started it franchise on 2005. At this time the agreement between TV Asahi Corporation and The Walt Disney Company arranged for the series get aired in Disney XD television channel in the United States. The popularity of Doraemon not just appear in television series, but also video games, musical, merchandise and film. From Japan’s view, the acceptance of their product in foreign country not only give a positive image, but from franchising of Doraemon character will boost their economy, particularly in merchandise and copyright (Miho, 2014).

With the large of Japanese anime fans outside from Japan, certain program arranged in local area to attract and showing a positive image of Japanese culture (Kartikasari, 2018). In Malaysia, the Japanese anime fans such as Doraemon, Sailormoon or One Piece could participate and show their interest by participating in the event like Japan Expo, Comic Fiesta and World Cosplay Summit (Paidi, M. Akhir, & Ping, 2014).

These platforms provide a connection and interaction among the fans and indirectly will spread the positive image and views about Japan. The programs usually supported by the Japanese organizations by giving a grant. In Malaysia, the cultural grant aid provided by the Japan government from 1975 to 2016 approximately JPY 1,561.5 Million (MOFA, 2018). Japan Foundation as one of the organization that provide full support as it function in bridging between local people and Japan government. Moreover, its existence located in every country in the world.

In conclusion, the Japanese anime series will give a significant view in the cultural diplomacy. Even if watching the anime could not bring the audiences directly to the Japan’s policies, but in certain level, the message of positive image successfully deliverable. The formation of Japanese identities in every part of the world proved that, without a military weapon also could influence others to accept the characteristic based on the attraction that have in the cultural values.

REFERENCES

Adhikary, R. S. (2015). Impact of Japanese Cartoons on Primary School Going Children: With Special Reference to Doraemon. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 20(6), 01-09.

Kartikasari, W. (2018). The Role of Anime and Manga in Indonesia-Japan Cultural Diplomacy. University of Tsukuba, 41-47.

Kim, H. (2017, August 2). Bridging the Theoretical Gap Between Public Diplomacy and Cultural Diplomacy. The Korean Journal of International Studies, 15(2), 293-326.

Miho, T. (2014). Educational and Technological Perspectives in Doraemon – Hope and Dreams in Doraemon’s Gadgets. International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 8(11), 3723-3728.

MOFA. (2002). Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan. Retrieved from Look East Policy – The Challenges for Japan in Globalized World: https://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/malaysia/pmv0212/speech.html

MOFA. (2018, July 25). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Retrieved from MOFA: https://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/malaysia/data.html

Mori, H. (2018). How Does Anime Realize Public Diplomacy?: The Potential and Future Prospects of Anime Pilgrimage. International Journal of Kitakyushu City University, 87-104.

Nye, S. (2005). Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics. New York : Public Affairs.

Paidi, R., M. Akhir, M., & Ping, L. P. (2014, 8 5). Reviewing the Concept of Subculture: Japanese Cosplay in Malaysia. 163-181.

PublicDiplomacy.org. (2016). PublicDiplomacy.org. Retrieved from PDAA – An Association of Public Diplomacy Professionals: https://pdaa.publicdiplomacy.org/?page_id=6

Snow, N. (2009). Rethinking Public Diplomacy. New York: Routledge.

Warsito, T., & Kartikasari, W. (2007). Diplomasi Kebudayaan: Konsep dan Relevansi Bagi Negara Berkembang. Yogyakarta, Indonesia : Ombak .

REMEMBERING 5 YEARS OF MH370 TRAGEDY: CRISIS MANAGEMENT IN INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION

by Siti Shafiah binti Abdul Rahim

Figure 1 – A memorial graffiti drawn under a flyover in Penang. Source: Utusan Malaysia.
Link: https://www.utusan.com.my/rencana/utama/setahun-mh370-seorang-pejalan-kaki-melintasi-grafiti-di-bawah-1.66564

Recently, we have marked the date of MH370 lost who’s now reached its 5 years of missing aircraft. Without even knowing where the aircraft or the passengers are, this is a huge mystery that leaves everybody in grief and pain. There have been maximum efforts of the Search and Rescue (SAR) mission by Malaysian Government with the cooperation of three committed countries, China and Australia.

Back to the beginning 5 years ago, The Star Online (2014) reported Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 carrying 227 passengers from 14 nations and 12 Malaysian crew members was missing on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing after departed on 8th March 2014 at 12.41am. According to Berita Harian news dated 19th of March 2014, Flight MH370 was scheduled to arrive in Beijing at 6.40 am, but the signal of Flight MH370 has disappeared from the Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation at 1.30 am. The aircraft however, did not enter Chinese airspace or contacted the Chinese controllers (Abu Bakar, Hamzah, & Muhammad, 2014).

What happens during the first few weeks of the incident was a tough time for Malaysian Government and Malaysia Airlines to deal with the press conferences and foreign media. The press conferences were conducted every half an hour after the plane disappearance was reported. The pressure comes from non-stop media coverage from various local and foreign media agencies who seek for latest information of the missing aircraft.

Those days, Malaysia steals the worlds’ attention where MAS also released statements and latest information on Facebook and Twitter allowing thousands of shares and comments praying for the passengers’ safety (Mohd Nazri Latiff Azmi, Nur Ain Afizan Abd Rahman, Zulazhan Abd. Halim & Mohd Fauzi Abdul Hamid, 2016).

The reporting has triggered many speculations and theories of the missing flight that might satisfy readers who has been demanded for answers. However, it did not the affect the efforts to continue solving the mystery and clarifications has been made towards the rumours by Malaysia Airlines and the Malaysian Governments.

Mohd Nazri Latiff Azmi, Nur Ain Afizan Abd Rahman, Zulazhan Abd. Halim & Mohd Fauzi Abdul Hamid (2016) mentioned that the SAR mission was aided by aircrafts and technologies from many countries like China, the United States and Australia. Led by the Malaysian authorities, numerous surveillance planes and jets equipped with sensors and electro-optics detectors, and foreign aviation experties were on the ground to help the rescue mission at the last missing location reported, the Indian Ocean. Apart form that, the Earth-monitoring satellites provided by China giving the crew a clear overlook on the searching mission.

The mission was later joined by other foreign countries to offers further investigation and detailed satellite data analysis for the Malaysian authorities. From the situation, we have seen how leaders of involved countries deals with the international crisis until they had to learn in-depth of the aviation industry (Weaver, 2014).

Dealing with the family members of the victims was one of the challenges in this tragedy. According to Junaidi Abu Bakar, Mohd Sahandri Gani bin Hamzah, Mazura Mastura Muhammad (2014), they were given accomodation, foods and other necessities paid by Malaysian Government and also legal aid to assists burden regarding insurance, liability, procedure and et cetera by a team of lawyers from the Malaysian Bar Council. This includes councelling services for the mourning families that were provided by Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.

Mohd Nazri Latiff Azmi, Nur Ain Afizan Abd Rahman, Zulazhan Abd. Halim & Mohd Fauzi Abdul Hamid (2016) mentioned that they also received continuous support from foreign countries when the Australian Hotels Association give their accommodations to the families of Flight MH370 passengers to witness the recovery area and to be at the closest where the plane is believed to have jumped into the ocean. The victim’s familieswere transported to Perth, Australia by the Malaysia Airlines flight. “There is an agreement of the memorandum of understanding between Malaysia and Australia, in providing high technology equipment needed, during the search of MH370”,  said them.

After 327 days of searching, the Malaysian Government concluded that the aircraft exhausted its fuel over a defined area of the southern Indian Ocean, and that the aircraft is located on the sea floor close to that defined area. Therefore on 28 January 2015, the Government of Malaysia officially declare Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 an accident and with the heaviest heart and deepest sorrow, all 239 of the passengers and crew onboard MH370 are presumed to have lost their lives. (Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia, 2015)

As a lesson to the crossed borders tragedy like MH370, an international cooperation is necessary to be reinforced and expanded with a MoU for countries to be able to exchange information during the tough times to ease investigation and avoid any geopolitic issues. (Suparta, 2015) This case may be referred as an example of crisis management and international communication between countries and becoming one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries.

Amazingly, the search for a missing airplane has united the all knowledge, military assets and 21 satellites from Malaysia, China and Autralia. When the SAR mission was announce to stop, it came out that the total searched area for MH370 flight Boeing 777-200 covers about 7.68 million sq km equates to more than 11% of the Indian Ocean and 1.5% of the Earth surface. (Astro Awani, 2014) What an interesting fact here.

Figure 2 The total search area for missing flight MH370. Source: Astro Awani
Link: http://www.astroawani.com/berita-malaysia/mh370-apa-yang-telah-kita-belajar-daripada-kehilangan-pesawat-ini-32436
References

Abu Bakar, J., Hamzah, M., & Muhammad, M. (2014). Crisis Management- Malaysian Aviation Tragedies. International Conference on Innovative Trends in Multidisciplinary Academic Research, 33-46.

Astro Awani. (2014, Mac 24). MH370: Apa yang telah kita belajar daripada kehilangan pesawat ini? Retrieved Mac 25, 2019, from Astro Awani: http://www.astroawani.com/berita-malaysia/mh370-apa-yang-telah-kita-belajar-daripada-kehilangan-pesawat-ini-32436

Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia. (2015, January 29). Announcement on MH370 by Director General Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia. Retrieved Mac 25, 2019, from http://www.mh370.gov.my/images/phocadownload/doa_announcement.pdf

Junaidi Abu Bakar, Mohd Sahandri Gani bin Hamzah, Mazura Mastura Muhammad. (2014). Crisis Management – Malaysian Aviation Tragedies. GlobalIlluminators, 86-87.

Mohd Nazri Latiff Azmi, Nur Ain Afizan Abd Rahman, Zulazhan Abd. Halim & Mohd Fauzi Abdul Hamid. (2016). Crisis Management in Communication: A Study onMH370, MH17 and QZ8501 Aviation Tragedies. Journal of Communication Media Watch, 285.

Suparta, W. (2015, Mac 7). Setahun Kehilangan MH370. Retrieved Mac 25, 2019, from Utusan Online: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Wayan_Suparta/publication/274069096_Setahun_kehilangan_MH370_-_Rencana_-_Utusan_Online/links/5513ed310cf23203199ccab9/Setahun-kehilangan-MH370-Rencana-Utusan-Online.pdf

The Star Online. (2014, Mac 8). Flight MH370 bound for Beijing goes missing. Retrieved 7 24, 2019, from The Star Online: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2014/03/08/missing-plane-mas/

Weaver, M. &. (2014, March 12). MH370: China releases satellite images of possible crash site. Retrieved July 24, 2019, from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/blog/2014/mar/12/mh370-search-extended-into-andaman-sea-live-updates

2019 Women’s March: The endless fight for women’s rights

by Puteri Sarah Hanim Mohamad Shaiful

If your Instagram, Twitter or Facebook feed was a constant stream of images and video from the recent 2019 Women’s March, you were not alone. Social movements reflect dissatisfaction with socio-political environments and are a platform for communicating dissent. In other words, by mobilising large numbers of people, collective action can be taken to address discontent. Social media pages and online platforms allow us to connect and communicate with the world. We can share what is going on within the global community and take part in emerging conversations. Women have constantly been undermined in the eyes of our society, causing them to have to fight for the equality they know they deserve. This fight is known as the feminist movement and has been in the works for centuries. Although women have gained a lot since the start of the feminist movement, the fight for equality is still nowhere near over –from fighting for the right to vote years ago to the over pricing of feminine products now. 

Photo taken from the Malay Mail on 09 March 2019
by Ida Nadirah Ibrahim “In Women’s Day march, hundreds gather to demand end to patriarchy”

Thousands march for women’s rights, gender equality in KL  by Yimie Yong by The Star Online mentioned that, More than 100 women gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to take part in the #WomensMarchMy on March 9.  The event aimed to call for greater women’s rights. This is usually an open platform for women to put forth what they are fighting for. Several groups, including Women’s Aid Organisation, Sisters in Islam, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender activists, joined the rally. The near 1km walk spread over from Sogo Shopping Mall. During the walk, social activists and individuals of various foundations conveyed notices, banners, and standards. Nonetheless, it is dismal to realize that the open did not so much handle the targets of the walk as the general population were for the most part centered around the LGBT people group who joined the occasion. The gathering, as a feature of its #PelangiCampaign, accepted the open door to advocate for LGBT equivalent rights for all LGBT individuals during the walk.

Pic taken from @KuasaSiswa (Fahmi Reza) https://twitter.com/kuasasiswa/status/1105367379800813568?s=20

It must be noted that issues that are important to one group may not affect another or may not even be important to observers outside the sphere of concern in the Women’s March, yet it does not take away the fact that these are the issues that have to be tackled.

According to Arveent Kathirtchelcan in MalaysiaKini Understanding the Women’s March article, Many felt that specific requests in the Women’s March were unpalatable. One such picture from the occasion that has since turned into a web sensation demonstrates a lady conveying a notice expressing ‘Let My Nips Be Free’ close by an illustration of naked bosoms. The objection was centered around pictures, for example, these, censuring women’s activists for not discussing appropriate issues during the walk

Photo taken from Blogspot http://khairulryezal.blogspot.com/2019/03/malaysia-baru-lgbt-berleluasa.html

If you’re one of those who ask, “what else do women want?”, bear in mind that a number of issues were raised during the march. Here’s a list of things that women are — the elimination of gender discrimination, an end to violence against women, the strengthening of women’s rights, and a push for equal opportunities and wages.

The policing of women’s bodies, from what they wear to whether or not they wish to have a child, is up for discussion and everyone seems to have an opinion about these matters. The narrative that women should wear certain clothes and act in ways that’ll keep men from sexually harassing or raping them is problematic in so many ways.
Not only does it put the responsibility and blame on women, but is also an insult to men who are perfectly capable of respecting women. The issue of child marriages is not new in Malaysia. Every time a story of a much older man marrying a child is covered in the news, outraged comments and calls for the ban of child marriages can be heard only for the noise to gradually disappear after a while. Not this time. Advocates for the ban of child marriages are taking it to streets to call for the ban, without exceptions.

It’s a new year: a chance to move beyond the mistakes of the past and build a new beginning.  Women’s rights include rights that establish the same social, economic, and political status for women as for men. Women’s rights ensure that ladies won’t stand up to isolation dependent on their sex. Women’s rights is thought little of these days, yet when one looks at the clash of women, it goes out to that there is far to go to achieve real equalization. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that laws constrained by the organization regarding ladies rights made indisputably the most basic obstructions checking Women’s rights. Since most women missed the mark on the informational and fiscal resources that would enable them to challenge the social requests, women, all around, have recognized their inferior status as their singular decision. Women drove various administrative undertakings to ensure their throwing a poll, work and conceptive rights.

Women have had numerous incredible achievements with their challenge, yet many still choose to disregard the way that there is sexual separation. Men are still more regarded than Women. In addition to the fact that they receive more significant salary, however the items that are advertised towards them are less expensive than those showcased for women. In any case, new ages are overwhelming the development with even guys supporting women in their battle. The issue of women rights close by isn’t leaving at any point in the near future, however its developing fame offers would like to each one of those battling for correspondence.

REFERENCES

A.T.M Shahjahan, K.Chisty. (2014). “Social Media research and its effect on our society” . International journal of Information 7 communication Engineering , 2014.

Clark, Eric. . (2012). “Social Media & Social Movements: A qualitative study of Occupy Wall Street.”.

Yong, Y. (9 March, 2019). Thousands march for women’s rights, gender equality in KL. Retrieved from The Star Online : https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/03/09/thousands-march-for-womens-rights-gender-equality-in-kl/

Kathirtchelvan, A. (11 March, 2019). Understanding the Women’s March . Retrieved from MalaysiaKini : https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/467450

Remembering the victims of Christchurch shooting

by Muhammad Faiz bin Mokhtar

It has been two weeks since the event that changed the lives of not just Muslims, but to the rest of the world as well. The world is stunned by the news of the man who shot 50 people in a mosque  (ABC News New Zealand, 2019). This event will be a lasting memory in the minds of the people of the world. This act is not only devastating to the people around the world, but more importantly, the lives of their families as well as those who knew the victims personally. New Zealand, a country known for extreme sports such as bungee jumping and friendly people, is left shocked as such a crime is known to be rare in the country.in their history. As the incident is the first of its kind in New Zealand’s history, all media have been covering the incident on large scale for the few weeks.  This has given journalists a chance to inform the public about the shooting and its aftermath.

Social media presents a medium that is a cost-effective, which means it is interactive,  association and co-formation above communication that is one-to-many; integrates communication and distribution channels, provides customization opportunities, and delivers greater speed to the information communication and feedback (Shilbury, Westerbeck, Quick, Funk, & Karg, 2014) . Social media has given the platform for people to voice their concerns and it is a way that news can travel instantaneously into the minds of the citizens of the world. Internet presents a virtual public community allowing citizens to discuss public issues and make their voices heard (Zhou & Moy, 2007). When comparing with the traditional Internet and communication technologies (ICTs), social media manages the conversation content or interaction as an artifact of information in an online environment (Yates & Paquette, 2010). 

However, social media has become a message channel for the shooter to livestream his actions for the world to see. The shooter, armed with automatic rifle, gunned down 50 patrons of the mosque and he filmed the shooting live-streamed on Facebook (Wakefield, 2019). The video has been shared on social media through all platforms, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, in which millions have watched this act of terror through their phones, laptops and tablets. Social media, despite its reach to reach millions of the world, has showcased to the users themselves what kind of content that they might see. Impressionable people may follow suit and some would be fearful of the world due to the fact that it is shown by the social media itself. Online media allows netizens to share their opinions, retorts, or pass remarks about a certain phenomenon (Ekawati, 2018).

Jacinda Ardern, a leader that sets the example

The world is left shocked and astonished by the act of the shooter, but one woman stood out among them all, the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Being a leader, one must show compassion towards the victims, strength for the people to look upon and wisdom for her actions. Ardern is an example of how a leader should act. Rather than just offer condolences and sympathy, she showed compassion for the victims’ families. A disaster or an event that changes the perception of a nation will make the people around the world to shift their focus on her. As a leader, she must be an example to other leaders on how to act in times of distress and chaos. The picture below shows that she’s wearing a headscarf, which depicts her respect towards the victims’ religion and culture.

“You may have chosen us,” said Ardern, referring to the killer, anger in her voice. “But we utterly reject and condemn you.” (Roy, 2019)

“She has shown a quiet, strong leadership, and been very focused on looking after the people who are most affected straight away. The killer has barely been mentioned.” (Roy, 2019)

In The Guardian’s article, Roy interviewed Paul Buchanan, a security expert in the 36th Parallel.  Buchanan commented that:

“Saying that her strength was her empathy, and she has “excelled” in this arena during a time of crisis. She is also an expert delegator, Buchanan says, and has delegated security reviews and inquiries about how the killer was missed to senior, trusted colleagues, allowing her to focus on healing a traumatized country.

“She is like the mother of the nation. When it comes to events like this, I think her touch is near perfect,” says Buchanan.

“The way Trump and others talk, tough talk, after terror attacks, all that is posturing. And sometimes it is designed to mask weakness, sometimes it is a thirst for revenge. Ardern is doing none of that.”

“It is a leadership style that particularly suits New Zealand. New Zealand does have a serious dark side, it does have racism. But what she is doing is giving us a moment to confront these demons, this darkness and change our ways.”

Extracted from (Roy, 2019) article when interviewed Paul Buchanan, security expert in the 36th Parallel.  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/19/real-leaders-do-exist-jacinda-ardern-uses-solace-and-steel-to-guide-a-broken-nation

The traits that a true leader should have exhibited under intense situation which are Compassion, truthfulness and composure. Therefore, it is no surprise that the world is lauding her and giving her positive comments along with support for her stance on the subject. People worldwide have been commending Arden’s actions throughout the whole ordeal.

A leader should always be quick in responding to critical or emergency situations such as the mass shooting. This can be seen in Arden’s decision to push for the ban on semi-automatic and automatic rifles in New Zealand. Not only that, owners of rifles too have resorted to relinquishing their own rifles in wake of the shooting out of respect (Graham-McLay, 2019).

New Zealand: Citizen’s response

New Zealand, a small nation east of Australia, known for agriculture and extreme sports was tested with an event that has changed the way people see the world nowadays – that the world is indeed full of violence and hatred. As covered in the article, the world is shocked by the actions of one man who went into a place of worship and had committed a massacre. What is astonishing is the level of solidarity among New Zealanders post-shooting. They have been offering victims sympathy, empathy, as well as have been helping the victims to overcome trauma and grief.  Social media has become a tool used by people all over the world to send messages of support and love to the victims. Hashtags have been used on Twitter to discuss the mass shooting. One can easily find the messages for the victims posted under hashtags related to the incident.

The New Zealanders have shown solidarity by standing outside the mosques in a line to which can represents that they are willing to protect what they considered to be their brothers and sisters despite the difference in religion, culture and skin color.  Not only that, the incident also prompted some of the New Zealanders to learn more about Islam. Some of them even converted to Islam after the incident. Sonny Bill Williams, a New Zealand All-Blacks Rugby Star is one of the famous names in the Islam and he even visited the victims who were being treated to provide support. Recently, his mother and teammate, Offa Tuungafasi, converted to Islam as well (Astro , 2019).

In conclusion, the media has the power to shape the perception of the people in the world. Along with that, the media could lead to people thinking that the world might be a dangerous place to live in, but there is kindness in this world and the people of New Zealand along with their leader, Ardern, have exhibited those traits. In memory of the victims, I would like to ask for all of us to pray for the fallen victims.

References

ABC News New Zealand. (2019, March 19). Christchurch shooting death toll rises to 50 after one more victim discovered at mosque. Retrieved from ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-17/christchurch-shooting-death-toll-rises-to-50-new-zealand/10909288

Astro , A. (2019, March 27). Beberapa hari susulan tragedi Christchurch, ibu serta rakan baik Sonny Bill Williams masuk Islam. Retrieved from Astro Awani: http://www.astroawani.com/berita-dunia/beberapa-hari-susulan-tragedi-christchurch-ibu-serta-rakan-baik-sonny-bill-williams-masuk-islam-202370

Ekawati, R. (2018). PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS OF ANGER EXPRESSION USED BY NETIZEN ON ROHINGYA REFUGEES IN WEBSITE . Skripsi thesis, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta., 1-16.

Graham-McLay, C. (2019, July 13). New Zealand Begins Gun Buyback Prompted by Mosque Attacks. Retrieved from NYTimes.com: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/13/world/asia/new-zealand-guns.html

Roy, E. A. (2019, March 19). ‘Real leaders do exist’: Jacinda Ardern uses solace and steel to guide a broken nation. Retrieved from The Guardian Online: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/19/real-leaders-do-exist-jacinda-ardern-uses-solace-and-steel-to-guide-a-broken-nation

Shilbury, D., Westerbeck, H., Quick, S., Funk, D., & Karg, A. (2014). Strategic sport marketing Fourth Edition. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

Wakefield, J. (2019, March 19). Christchurch shootings: Social media races to stop attack footage. Retrieved from BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-47583393

Yates, D., & Paquette, S. (2010). Emergency Knowledge Management and Social Media Technologies: A Case Study of the 2010 Haitian Earthquake. ASIS&T ’10 Proceedings of the 73rd ASIS&T Annual Meeting on Navigating Streams in an Information Ecosystem – Volume 47 (pp. 1-9). Pittsburgh: American Society for Information Science .

Zhou, Y., & Moy, P. (2007). Parsing Framing Processes: The Interplay Between Online Public Opinion and Media Coverage. Journal of Communication ISSN 0021-9916, 78-98.

Not Enough Money to Travel to Istanbul? Putrajaya Also Have Hot Air Balloons

by Sakinah Binti Abdullah

The moment you imagine Istanbul, one thing that will cross your mind would be hot air balloons. A hot air balloon is a lighter than aircraft. It consists of a bag which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket, which carries passengers. Its source of heat helps float it above the blue sky that reveals myriad hues of scenic landscapes. Undoubtedly, it’s a bucket list activity for tourists in Turkey.

Don’t worry! If you don’t have enough money to travel to Istanbul, you can still experience a hot air balloon ride in Putrajaya with the International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. The #MyBalloonFiesta is a homegrown festival initiated by AKA Balloon Sdn Bhd and supported by Putrajaya Corporation. The 10th Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2019 took place in Presint 2. The four-day event on March 28. The best part is the event entry is free of charge for everyone. The uniqueness of the fiesta attracted both Malaysians visitors from over 70 countries (MyBalloonFiesta, 2019).

Photo by #MyBaloonFiesta (MyBalloonFiesta, 2019)

The event hosted various hot air balloonists from across the world. The free event previewed a collection of more than 20 hot air balloons of various designs and colors from different international participants of the world, such as Thailand, Japan, Brazil, Belgium, Spain, and United Kingdom. Hot air balloons in shapes of Robot Woozi, Pink Gnome, Bruno the Clown, Pink Elephant, Tako the Octopus, Happy Chan and Black Bear were showcased during the event (Nair, 2019). Plus, the attraction made available at the fiesta was an igloo-shaped balloon which formed by using recyclable material such as used hot air balloon (Sulaiman, 2019)

Photo by #MyBalloonFiesta (MyBalloonFiesta, 2019)

Even though the event was open to public, people could still opt for a more intimate experience with balloons. As for the hot air balloon activities, visitors got to enjoy different packages and experiences, such as riding in a hot air balloon and getting up close and personal with the balloons and pilots. If you registered with My Balloon Club by Gamuda Land members, you will get an exclusive membership where visitors get special privileges to enjoy a gourmet breakfast buffet spread in a Tropical-themed Glamping Tent. While enjoying a live jazz performance and other picnic activities and an exclusive tethered balloon ride, some could even enjoy you a free night glow access ticket. It’s limited to 100 members per day only and some were even entitled to #myballoonfiesta official merchandise! It’s in the Blue Zone, which was where all the balloons took off and Pink Zone where the picnic area was. In order to register, adults had to pay RM300 each while children above 4 were charged RM250 each (MyBalloonFiesta, 2019).

Photo by #MyBalloonFiesta (MyBalloonFiesta, 2019)

The 10th Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2019 is one of the main iconic events listed in Putrajaya Corporation calendar of events. This fiesta can encourage family togetherness, couples and friends by having fun with a variety of activities for all ages. Held during school holidays, it is the perfect time for a quick family getaway. If you couldn’t make it this year, don’t missed out the exciting Hot Air Balloon Fiesta for the next year!

REFERENCES

MyBalloonFiesta. (2019). Retrieved on 12th April 2019 from https://www.myballoonfiesta.com/

Nair, V. (2019, March 29). Hot air balloon fiesta takes off in Putrajaya. Retrieved on 12th April 2019 from The Star Online: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/03/29/hot-air-balloon-fiesta-takes-off-in-putrajaya/.

Sulaiman, N. A. (2019, February 25). Hot air balloon fiesta returns to Putrajaya [NSTTV]. Retrieved on 12th April 2019 from New Straits Times: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/02/463530/hot-air-balloon-fiesta-returns-putrajaya-nsttv

Teaffani Gastronomy Canape Competition 2018

It’s a Wrap Teaffani Canape Competition 2018 was a successful event that was organized by Teaffani Catering on the 25th of November 2018! They have been in the market since 2011 and was the official food caterer for the DINNER IN THE SKY back in 2017. However, this year 2018, another breakthrough for them to be organizing a Canape competition for student as part of their CSR Program under “Education and Career Development Theme”.

Congratulation to Cindy Lee Xin Yi from YTL International College for the winner of the RM 1000.00 and also a Gold Medal. Moreover, Silver was won by Umi Asmat Binti Roslan of Silverspoon International College and Bronze was awarded to Siti Hajar Binti Ali From UiTM Puncak Alam who was judged by our Guest Judges Chef Doul and Chef Sufiz.  Congratulation to all the winners and a job well done to all of you, and those who did not win there is always next year!

Also, Teaffani Canape Competition was not all about Canape Competition however they have invited a guest speaker Chef Fadzly Che Omar from Gastronomy Association of Malaysia to give an insight on The Impact of Gastronomy upon Malaysian Culture. During this talk Chef Fadzly enlighten the students that being in the culinary arts field is not solely that you only can enter the kitchen. As there are other branches for them to venture in which requires people with great knowledge in culinary arts and gastronomy such as food writer, food stylist, food critique and many more.

Besides that, it is government initiative to expose and enhanced our Malaysian Cuisine to be at par with the other cuisine especially French cuisine and it can be as high standard and prestige as a fine dining quality food. Thus, this is where all students from culinary arts field task to constantly develop and enhance the quality and presentation of Malaysian Cuisine.

Lastly, Congratulation to Teaffani Catering! To be the first catering company that organized a Canape Competition to help the student get an exposure and knowledge on the Culinary field and helped broaden their horizon for their future career!

KL LIVE, INDEED BRINGS MUSIC TO LIFE.

Source: Fazlin Zulkifli

by Fazlin Zulkifli                                             

Let’s just say if you are an avid concert-goer like me, you will understand why KL Live is chosen as one of the preferred location for any musical events. It is a very well-known event space located at the heart of Jalan Sultan Ismail, which will surprise you with the ultimate live music experience you will need to encounter at least once in a lifetime.

Estalished in 2010, the concert hall have held over 63 concert events featuring local and famous, international acts such as Marshmello, Simple Plan, Sum 41, Zedd, Dua Lipa, and the recent uprising American singer that makes highschool kids be feeling proud of their young, dumb and broke self, Khalid.

KL Live is Kuala Lumpur’s fastest growing entertainment venue located at the heart of the city. With the standing capacity of 2500 pax, it is a multipurpose entertainment duplex event hall, with two fully licensed bars, KL Live is known to have hosted some of the most explosive live concerts, DJ parties, dance competitions and corporate events.

KL Live is located on the 1st floor of Life Centre at No. 20 Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur. Through its conveniences, the event space is also easily accessed by car and taxi. If you are commuting using the public transport, the closest stop would be the Raja Chulan Station. It is around 5-minute walk from the preferred station and it is also on walking distance from both KLCC and Pavilion.

If you decide to attend any events at the venue, there are certain guidelines that need to be followed. Upon the entrance, there will be security body and bag checks. In order to enter the venue, it is advisable to only bring your wallet and your phone to the venue because there is a restriction towards drinking bottles, medications, packed cigarettes, anything flammable, foods as well as beverages. Extra points if you are ready to display your Identification Card (IC) in order to get the line going smooth and moving before gates starts to open for the show to happen. P.S, during event days, basement parkings are at RM25 per entry, however, there are other alternatives to park your vehicles nearby the venue.

And here I attach videos taken from attending concerts at KL Live. Enjoy!

Malaysia’s Publishing Industry: Through Notorious Evolution

Written by Nur Dalila binti Rusilan

Lately, the publishing industry has started to gain back its popularity through the advancement of digital technology, all thanks to social media platforms! It is guaranteed that many of the industry players use these tools to market their books. In Malaysia, the awareness and enthusiasm of producing books are exhaustively in tight competition with other markets. One of the notable events that showcases the Malaysian books internationally is the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Frankfurter Buchmesse or Frankfurt Book Fair is one of the largest book exhibitions. This event is held annually and the media industry from different countries around the world will be invited to negotiate a business deal or to look for inspirations. Materials ranging from novels, children books to film and games will demonstrate their most advantageous features during the event. As said by Claudia Kaiser, the FBF Business Development Vice-President, “Malaysian book titles will be a key attraction at this year’s event”.

During the 2017 FBF forum, Director of National Book Council Malaysia, Abdul Wahab Ibrahim, who is also the Head of Malaysian Delegation to FBF said that it was a business opportunity in match-making with international publishers including Turkey, Vietnam and Taiwan. Surprisingly, the Malaysian delegation achieved their goal by sealing more than 8 million sales contract deals. What’s more exciting is that four Malaysian books have made it to the final list. It was definitely the highlight of the event and the proudest moment for Malaysia.

Author: Zamri Mohamad.
Publisher: Legacy Publishing.
Image source: Google

Author: Herman Abdullah.
Publisher: ITBM
Image source: Google

Author: Mat Luthfi. Publisher: PTS
Image source: Google

Author: Wael A Yousef Mousa.
Publisher: Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
Image Source: Google

Besides that, the event became more momentous when its 2017 theme was Faces of Malaysia. It showcased the Culture of Mah Meri, where a group of Orang Asli tribe was exclusively flown from Carey Island, Banting to Frankfurt, which eventually became an attraction for international exhibitors. With over than 31 Malaysian publishers, they have listed a few book titles that have the potential to win this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, which will be held for five days from 10th-14th of October 2018. What makes Malaysia more thrilled with this year’s participation is that they were invited by the representatives of London Book Fair, Seoul International Book Fair and Turkey Book Fair to participate in their country’s book festival this year.

“The future of Malaysia’s book industry looked promising”, said by Arief Hakim Sani Rahmat, Vice-President of Malaysia Publishers Association during the forum prelude in FBF 2017. It is said over 70% of Malaysians are categorized in “working age” and deemed as educated mainly because they read book for self-development and to educate their child. However, local publishing brands should strengthen more on the quality of the books to encourage more Malaysians to buy and grow interest in reading it. As a matter of fact, the industry should be given more financial inducement in the upcoming budget because the number of young Malaysian authors, writers and illustrators are growing and has caused an increase in sales value record in the industry.

In case if you are wondering, while we are enjoying this little treat, other local publishing companies are dying to survive and make up their best outcome for the consumers. This year, the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair will come out with all sorts of activity and optimistically welcome more visitors to look around for fresh new publications. The event will be launched in two weeks time, starting from 27th (Friday) until 6th May (Sunday) 2018. So, what are you waiting for, book-lovers? Let’s support and celebrate our local brands!