c



  

 






 Heavy police presence and the fear of being caught have driven Malaysians to be cautious on the
road, which helped to reduce the number of accidents during the last Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations.

Based on statistics by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros), the number of accidents during
Ops Sikap XXII last year dropped to 16,817 from 17,335 compared with the same period in 2009 because of
these two factors. The number of fatalities also took a slight dip to 248 from 265.

The operation is a concerted effort involving many agencies and covers a few areas, including enforcement, risk
reduction and promoting public transport.

Miros director-general Prof Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah told the New Straits Times that among the factors
which fed to the fear of being caught were visibility of enforcement, media exposure, road safety campaigns and
past experiences of being fined.

A survey conducted among motorists by the institute from 2008 till last year showed an increased perception of
being caught during operations in Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

About 51.7 per cent of 1,199 motorists feared getting caught last year compared with 41 and 35.4 per cent in
2009 and 2008, respectively.

Despite this, Farhan said the perception of being caught was still "very low" when compared with other countries.

"This indicates that Malaysian road users do not have high regard to the risk of being apprehended for a traffic
violation," he said after the Transport Ministry's monthly assembly yesterday.

Earlier, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said the ministry had identified over 200 "black spots" where
accidents regularly occurred nationwide.

Read more: Fear factor leads to fewer road

accidents http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/15mir/Article#ixzz1CQdSSoLm
‰ ‰
 

  
‰

*
 Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin gave his assurance that the amendments to the novel
Interlok would be completed before it is scheduled to be used in the Form Five syllabus in March.

Muhyiddin, who is education minister, said the line-up for the independent panel would be announced soon and
would comprise representatives from various literary organisations, including those from the Indian community
and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP).

He said there were only a few amendments to be made and they would not affect the content or the storyline.

"We must accept the fact that it is a novel that can be used," he said after a gathering of parent-teacher
associations at SMK Kamarul Ariffin here yesterday.

Asked about a posting on former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's blog that discussed different
interpretations of historical events, believed to be referring to Interlok, he said: "This is a fictional novel and the
author may not necessarily base it on history.

"He is creating a 'karya agung' (masterpiece) and the story is related to the historical background and this forms
the basis of the writing."

In Kuala Lumpur, the wife of the book's author, National Laureate Datuk Abdullah Hussain, said he would allow
for some changes to be made to Interlok as he had done so in the past.

Datin Siti Saroja Basir said her 90-year-old wheelchair-bound husband was not averse to the idea of making
these changes as long as it still retained the integrity and message.

The 65-year-old mother of five said Abdullah had agreed to DBP's request to change 10 words in the novel last
August to make it suitable to be used as a literature textbook for Form Five Bahasa Malaysia.

In welcoming the government's decision to retain Interlok, albeit with some amendments to the sections deemed
sensitive to the Indian community, Siti Saroja spoke of their unhappiness with the manner in which the issue was
politicised and blown out of proportion.

She said the whole matter could have been settled amicably if the various parties had approached her husband
and discussed their problems.

"My husband was truly saddened by the burning of his books as he regarded these creative works as his children.

"After seeing the newspaper article on the book burning, he grew quiet, depressed and withdrew into himself and
when the protests grew intense, we decided to move him to an undisclosed location for safety reasons.

"This whole uproar could have been avoided if someone had just come in good faith and met with my husband,"
she said, adding that Abdullah did not seem to have recovered from the shock.

Siti Saroja said if invited, she would represent her husband in the independent panel set up to study the
amendments needed.

The family had also requested the Union of National Writers Association (Gapena), which would also sit on the
panel, to help protect Abdullah's interests.

DBP corporate communications head Abdul Ghaffar Abdullah said that while it held the copyright to the novel, it
would still need permission from the author on any amendments made to the work.

Meanwhile, the decision to retain Interlok with some amendments was thumbed down by many NGOs, with some
insisting that the book be dropped altogether from the syllabus.
National Interlok Action Team (Niat), which represents more than 70 Indian NGOs, and Astivaaram Foundation
are calling for the book to be dropped altogether.

Niat president Datuk Taslim Mohamad said the ministry should start looking for a replacement novel while there is
still time, since the school session was about to enter the second month.

Gapena chief II Professor Datuk Dr Abdul Latif Abu Bakar said the novel should be retained as it is as it was a
creative literary work and the terms and references deemed offensive be explained in footnotes and glossary.

"I believe it is a first for Malaysia that a literary work by an acknowledged national laureate is to be amended.

"We must defend and protect an author's right in expressing his creativity through literary works or he'll be stifled."

Read more: 'We'll make changes to novel first' http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/09telok/Article#ixzz1CQg3FOMl

u

  
 





KUALA LUMPUR: More than 47,000 people have been moved to relief centres as of yesterday as
floods worsened in Johor and hit Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Pahang and Sabah.

The worst may not be over as the Meteorological Department forecasts that the current wet
spell would persist in many parts of the country for the greater part of this week, although its
intensity should diminish towards the weekend.

In Johor, currently the wettest state, more than 39,500 people have been evacuated to relief
centres since Saturday. The other evacuees comprise more than 2,200 in Negri Sembilan,
1,200 in Malacca, 500 in Pahang and 4,000 in Sabah.

Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman yesterday expressed his fears that the flood
situation, which has claimed two lives, might turn out to be worse than in 2006 and 2007,
when the state suffered one the worst floods in history with more than 100,000 people moved
to relief centres.

"In 2006, heavy rain affected only Segamat. This time, it is affecting the whole state.

"We have been on red alert since Saturday," he said in Labis.

All 10 districts in Johor, except Mersing, have been instructed to activate their respective
flood operations rooms. The state flood operations room was set up at 3pm on Saturday.

Ghani, who is also state Natural Disaster Committee chairman, said water in several main
rivers in the state had risen to "warning" levels or breached dangerous levels.

The menteri besar also visited some 240 evacuees at the Kampung Paya Merah multipurpose
hall in Labis, accompanied by state executive councillor Datuk Ahmad Zahri Jamil, state
secretary Datuk Abdul Latiff Yusof and newly elected Tenang assemblyman Mohd Azahar
Ibrahim.

In nearby Segamat, all roads leading to the town, except the Segamat-Kuantan road, were
impassable to vehicles.

Tenaga Nasional Bhd said in a statement yesterday that 134 substations in Segamat had been
switched off since Sunday to prevent any untoward incidents.

In Negri Sembilan, the evacuees were from the Tampin, Jempol, Kuala Pilah and Rembau
districts as well as the Gemas sub-district, as water inundated low-lying areas since Sunday.

Member of parliament for Tampin, Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor, who is also works minister,
said the flood situation in the district was worse than the last one in 2006.

"What's important now is to ensure that all flood victims are given the basic necessities, such
as food and blankets, and ensure that the needs of small children are met," he said after
visiting a flood relief centre at SMK Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Tampin.

Several roads in Gemas were closed after they were inundated, causing residents much
inconvenience as they tried to leave their homes.

Army vehicles and rescue boats from the Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Camp, along with those
from the Fire and Rescue Department and Civil Defence, were seen helping victims to
evacuate.

State Fire and Rescue Department director Saadon Mokhtar said leave for all officers and
personnel had been withdrawn and they were on alert round the clock.

Meanwhile, landslides and rising floodwaters between Bahau and Tampin, as well as Kluang
in Johor, forced Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) to cancel several of its services to the
east and south.

KTMB said in a statement that among the affected services were Ekspress Rakyat from KL
Sentral to Singapore and Ekspress Sinaran Timur from Kuala Lipis to Singapore.

In Malacca, the affected areas were mostly in the Jasin and Alor Gajah districts following
continuous rain since Sunday.

The Lebuh AMJ (Alor Gajah-Melaka Tengah-Jasin) from Rembia to Simpang Ampat had to
be closed to light traffic as a result of the floods.

In Pahang, days of heavy rain have also taken a toll, resulting in more than 500 people from
Raub, Rompin, Bentong and Maran being evacuated.

Pahang Traffic and Public Order chief Superintendent Mohamed Fauzi Abdul Rahim said
several stretches in the four districts were closed to all vehicles after being submerged in up to
two metres of water.

In Sabah, continuous heavy rain for three days caused floods in the east coast, with
floodwaters in some areas being as high as two metres.

The affected areas were in Kota Marudu, Beluran, Sandakan and Pitas, where some 4,000
people were evacuated to community halls and schools.

Read more: 5 states on alert as rains persist

http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/06fldwp/Article/#ixzz1CgG1R9SJ