Instil culture of hating crimes — Abdul Karim

May 28, 2012

IT IS LAUNCHED: Abdul Karim (third right) together with (from left) Wee, Acryl Sani, Abang Wahap
and Liew (right) during the launching of state-level Crime Prevention Month 2012. 
— Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi

KUCHING: Teenagers and youths in the state are encouraged to join Rakan Cop and Malaysian Crime Prevention Club as part of the efforts to promote crime prevention activities among the younger generations.

Minister of Social Development Tan Sri William Mawan said that the early involvement of teenagers and youths in the two bodies would be the best platform to prevent them from being involved in crime.

In his text of speech read out by Assistant Minister of Youth Development Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah when launching the state-level Crime Prevention Month 2012 at Kuching Integrated Recreational Centre here yesterday, the Senior Minister also said that it was everybody’s responsibility to maintain public safety and peacefulness in the country.

On a personal note, Abdul Karim who was representing Mawan at the function said, “We must try to ensure there is a culture of working together in our community to prevent crime and how nice would it be if we were to live in a society where crime rarely happens.”

He said he believed these were achievable considering there were already countries such as New Zealand as well as Japan which had very low crime rate.

Due to lesser crimes, the number of police personnel required in the countries was very small, he added.

“The culture of the communities there is such that they work together to ensure crime are not committed. If it happens, the community will work hand-in-hand to ensure that it does not happen again,” he said.

He added he was made to understand that New Zealanders would despise those who build fences around their houses because they think people who do so were trying to isolate themselves from society, which he said demonstrated the strength of their community’s spirit in preventing crimes.

In urging the people to be more proactive in crime prevention, Abdul Karim said they must try to instil the culture of hating crime and having the desire to see that the city was safe from criminal activities.

Also present during the ceremony were state police commission Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, Kuching City North Commission Datuk Bandar Datuk Abang Abdul Wahap Abang Julai, Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association president Datuk Patrick Liew, India Street Pedestrian Mall chairman Dato Wee Hong Seng, state information director Resat Salleh and Kuching district police chief Roslan Bek Ahmad.

   

Don’t think of overthrowing govt via violence — Karim

May 27, 2012

1MALAYSIA: Karim (seventh right, second row) does the ‘1Malaysia’ gesture, joined by veterans at Sibu Gateway.

SIBU: Youth Development Assistant Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah yesterday urged anyone with the intention to overthrow the government through violent means to abort the plan.

Abdul Karim warned it could plunder the country into turmoil, causing investors to shy away and bring suffering.

He was responding to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s view that opposition leaders might resort to prolonged violent demonstrations to win the 13th general election (GE) if democratic approach would not yield victory.

“This is the personal opinion of Tun (Dr Mahathir)… I can see some truth in it but I hope this will not happen.

“Probably, some leaders inside PR might have been influenced by what happened in Arab countries (violent demos and taking over the government).

The prelude to the GE looks like some attempt to that nature.

“Could that be why they had this series of Bersih or whatever they call it, suggesting they may be moving along that line?” he told thesundaypost after officiating at the Perhimpunan Sempena Jelajah Pendaftaran Kumpulan Veteran Tentera Tidak Berpencen (KVTTB) at Sibu Gateway here.

Galeri: Sarawak Boat Club (SBC) Fishing Competition 2012

May 24, 2012

CONGRATULATIONS: Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah (left), Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg (third right), Dato Abang Khalid Abang Marzuki (second right) and Then (right) together with some of winners of the fishing competition after the prize presentation.

Use PTPTN loan wisely, says Karim

May 21, 2012

USE WISELY: Abdul Karim (standing eighth right), Ahmad (standing seventh left) and Dr Annuar (standing seventh right) with some of WPP recipients.

SIBU: National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) advanced loan payment (WPP) recipients are advised to spend the assistance given to them wisely.

Assistant Minister of Youth Development Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the government provided WPP in order to lighten the burden of parents and students, especially those from low and middle income group.

“We are aware that some parents are facing financial problems to send their children to universities or colleges due to high education fees,” he said at the presentation of WPP to 50 recipients from the central region.

The function was held at Kampung Nyabor Malay Union Club (MUC) hall in Kampung Bandong here yesterday.

Abdul Karim said university students from Sarawak who were studying in the peninsula shoulder a heavy financial burden as they also had to spend on air tickets, living and other expenses.

The gathering yesterday saw each WPP recipient receiving RM1,500 in warrant form. This forms part of their pre-approved PTPTN education loan.

For the May-June 2012 university intake session, PTPTN had distributed a total of RM49 million to 32,777 recipients nationwide.

Galeri: Launching of 50 Days Countdown to Sukma XV

May 19, 2012

WINDFALL FROM GOLD MEDALS: Sarawak’s Sukma chef de mission Datuk Lee Kim Shin (fourth left) together with his deputy, Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi (right), MSNS director Francis Nyurang Ding (left) and state’s contingent’s officials giving their thumbs up after revealing the incentives for 15th Sukma bound athletes.

Jabu and Karim dismisses report of Penan incest

May 16, 2012

“To me the report is malicious, degrading and an insult to the Penan and the native communities.” Tuan Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah

KUCHING: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu said the story by Metro Ahad stating that the Penans practise incest and marry immediate family members is only an assumption and a ‘sensationalised’ piece of news.

He said he did not believe the news, adding that it was only a game of certain non-governmental organisations (NGOs) out to manipulate the Penans.

“The news is only an assumption, and I don’t rely on assumption,” he said when met at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) lobby yesterday.

He called for a full investigation into the report to determine if there were elements of criminality.

The Minister of Rural Development pointed out that there were still people and NGOs who would not accept what the government had done to help the Penan.

He said the Penan were receptive to development, but there were small groups being manipulated by certain NGOs.

Asked whether the Penan community should send a protest to the newspaper, Jabu said it was up to the community.

Barisan Nasional bersedia hadapai asakan pembangkang

May 15, 2012

KUCHING: Barisan Nasional bersedia untuk hadapi asakan pembangkang yang mungkin lebih agresif berbanding sebelumnya.

“...mesyuarat kali ini bertembung dengan PRU13, jadi kemungkinan pembangkang akan menonjolkan diri menjelang pilihan raya.

“Saya rasa mesyuarat DUN kali ini akan lebih hangat, namun BN bersedia untuk semua ini. Ia tidak ada masalah kepada kami BN,” kata Menteri Muda Kemajuan Belia Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

Manakala Pengerusi Kelab Penyokong Barisan Nasional (BN) Abdullah Saidol mengingatkan wakil rakyat pembangkang supaya tidak membangkitkan isu-isu bersifat perkauman sepanjang berlangsungnya persidangan dewan undangan kali ini.

Peringatan awal ini diberikan oleh Abdullah Saidol ketika ditemui selepas Istiadat Pembukaan Penggal Kedua Persidangan DUN Sarawak Ke-17 di pekarangan Kompleks DUN di sini semalam.

Menurut Abdullah, semua ahli penyokong BN telah diarah untuk berjaga-jaga dengan perkara yang akan dibangkitkan oleh pembangkang dan membantah jika ia didapati berunsur sensitif.

“Kami akan bantah jika mereka membangkitkan perkara-perkara seperti isu perkauman yang boleh membangkitkan rasa curiga dan marah di kalangan ahli dewan.

Theft, drug abuse most common among juveniles

Friday May 11, 2012

KUCHING: Theft and drug abuse are the top offences committed by juveniles in Sarawak.

This was revealed by Youth Development Assistant Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

He said last year, 157 theft cases involving juveniles were recorded in Sarawak compared with 147 in 2010.Until April this year, 56 theft cases involving children were reported.

Abdul Karim said 89 students were tested positive for drugs in the first four months of this year.

He, however, did not have the 2010 and 2011 figures as urine tests were never conducted in school before early this year, but said the most common drug used by students was syabu.

“Although both theft and drug abuse cases are considered low, it is still a concern for us because most of them are students.

“We acknowledged the seriousness of the matter if left unchecked and therefore it has to be tackled with no delay,” he said after chairing the first Juvenile Crime Prevention brainstorming session here yesterday.

Karim: FAM kalis teguran

May 9, 2012

“FAM (Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia) sepa­tutnya bersedia menerima teguran atau kritikan dalam usaha membangunkan sukan bola sepak di negara ini,” kata Menteri Muda Pembangunan Belia Sarawak, Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

Beliau berkata demi­kian ketika mengulas kenya­taan Presiden FAM, Sultan Ahmad Shah kelmarin yang meminta penyokong bola sepak meneliti dan memahami undang-undang badan induk itu terlebih dahulu sebelum mengeluarkan sebarang kenyataan.

Karim yang dipetik menerusi Utusan Borneo Online berkata, sekiranya badan bola sepak negara itu tidak boleh ditegur, maka banyak pihak yang tidak akan berpuas hati.

“Saya tidak khuatir dengan pandangan Presiden FAM (Sultan Ahmad Shah), namun tindakan Jawatankuasa Tatatertib FAM perlu lebih beretika bagi mengelak menge­luarkan keputusan tidak munasabah, kejam, keterlaluan dan tidak membina untuk sukan ­­bola sepak.

“Malah, presidennya sendiri harus bersedia menerima kritikan. Seseorang presiden badan seperti FAM bukannya above the board dan tidak boleh ditegur,” katanya.

Dalam pada itu, Presiden FAS, Datuk Sudarsono Osman berkata, pihaknya tetap menggunakan saluran diplomatik untuk menyelesaikan kemelut yang menimpa persatuan itu setelah didenda RM75,500 oleh FAM.

Do we Sarawakians look foolish to you?

May 8, 2012

KUCHING: The FA of Malaysia (FAM) should be more open in accepting criticism and comments from others so that it can further uplift the standard of football in Malaysia.

Assistant Youth Development Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the football governing body would only create more adversaries if it closed its doors to views from others.

“I am not too concerned with the views of the FAM president (Sultan Ahmad Shah), but the actions of the FAM disciplinary committee should be more ethical to avoid making decisions which are unreasonable, cruel, overzealous and killing the sport of football.

“Despite this, the president of FAM must be ready to accept criticisms. A president of a governing body like FAM is not above the board and not a person who cannot be reprimanded,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.

Abdul Karim, also Asajaya assemblyman, was making his comments on a national daily report yesterday which quoted Sultan Ahmad Shah as branding the move by Sarawak fans to urge FA of Sarawak (FAS) to withdraw from FAM as foolish.

Sultan Ahmad Shah had also urged football fans and fan clubs to understand the FAM’s laws and regulations first before calling for the withdrawal of its affiliates.

Prior to this, FAM had imposed fines totalling RM75,500 on FAS because of unruly behaviour by fans, as well as penalising the state football team to play the upcoming four home matches behind closed doors. It was not the first time FAM has heavily penalised those who have criticised the governing body, referee and the national team, as well as for making comments in the media.

160 atlet taekwondo seluruh Sarawak berentap

May 6, 2012

“Dengan mempelajari taekwondo, seseorang itu mampu meningkatkan keyakinan diri, displin dan memperolehi ramai kenalan dari tempat-tempat yang lain.” Tuan Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah

KUCHING: Seramai 160 atlet dari seluruh negeri berentap pada Kejohanan Taekwondo Sarawak yang membuka tirainya di Kompleks Sukan Unimas, Kota Samarahan semalam.

Kejohanan dua hari anjuran Persatuan Taekwondo Negeri Sarawak (PTNS) itu terbahagi kepada empat kategori iaitu junior (10-13 tahun), senior (14-17 tahun), terbuka (16 tahun ke atas dan skuad Sukma) dan Institut Pengajian Tinggi Awam (IPTA). Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM) menjadi pasukan jemputan pada kejohanan tersebut kali ini.

Pengarah Teknikal PTNS, Tan Check Joon berkata objektif kejohanan adalah bagi membuat pemilihan terakhir skuad taekwondo Sukma selain memberi pendedahan kepada skuad negeri sebelum berlepas ke Kuantan.

Beliau menjelaskan, pemenang pada kejohanan itu akan mewakili Sarawak pada Kejohanan Taekwondo Remaja Kebangsaan Sportexcel-NSC-Milo-TM (WTF) ke-3 yang akan berlangsung di Stadium Tertutup Negeri, Petra Jaya pada 12 Mei ini.

Antara peserta yang dijangka akan mencuri tumpuan ialah Mohd Shazerick Zulariffin, peserta Sukma Sarawak yang berjaya meraih pingat emas pada Kejohanan Taekwondo Remaja Kebangsaan Sportexcel-NSC-Milo-TM (WTF) ke-2 di Ipoh, Perak pada 16 April lepas.

Hadir merasmikan pertandingan ialah Menteri Muda Pembangunan Belia, Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

Dalam ucapannya, Karim berkata sukan taekwondo semakin mendapat tempat di kalangan masyarakat tempatan dan ia bakal menjadi sukan penting di seluruh negara.

‘Draconian judgement an insult to Sarawakians’

May 1, 2012

KUCHING: The recent decision by Football Association Malaysia (FAM) to fine Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) of nearly RM80,000 together with four home games behind closed doors is widely seen as draconian and a horrendous judgment.

In fact, the action by FAM was an act of mental torture to the Sarawak fans and an effort that will not bring positive impact to football in Malaysia.

Assistant Minister of Youth Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who pointed this out when asked to comment on the matter said he was unsure if the FAM disciplinary committee was relying on one source or had watched videos of the incident from various angles.

“FAM decision is unjustified, not helpful in sports development and is an insult to the people of Sarawak,” he said to The Borneo Post yesterday.

“It is better for us to ‘withdraw ourselves’ from being played and directed around by those (FAM) who had no respect for the people of Sarawak,” Karim added.

Karim suggested that FAS study several options, such as playing in other leagues such as the Singapore League, or continue playing in FAM organised competitions.

On the same subject, Karim, who is also Assistant Minister of Housing urged the Federal Government to monitor the action of not just FAM but also other sports related governing bodies.