High number of young smokers worrisome

October 25, 2014

SIBU: Assistant Minister of Youth Development Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah has expressed sadness that Sarawak has the highest number of teenage smokers.

Abdul Karim, also Asajaya assemblyman, called for concerted effort to curb the bad habit, saying smoking was hazardous to health, affecting the wellbeing of future leaders.

“As one can see, if one is aged 13 to 17, one is still considered to be schooling. Cigarettes are an expensive item and very high likelihood these teenagers are using their parents’ money or their daily allowances to buy this stuff when it should be used for more beneficial items,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.

He was reacting to a survey carried out in 2012 had listed Sarawak among the states in the country with the highest number of teenage smokers aged between 13 and 17 years old.

The National Health and Morbidity Survey was carried out on 1,633 Form 1 to Form 5 students in the state who were selected randomly with other students around the country.

Abdul Karim said: “Smoking is also not a good habit as it is hazardous to health…parents, guardians, teachers and the public should ensure our youths do not smoke or start smoking at an early age…they our hope for the future and we do not want to see this future leaders picking up this habit at such an early age.”

Sarawak Teachers’ Union (STU) president Jisin Nyud too expressed sadness to note that Sarawak is among the states in the country with the highest number of teenage smokers aged between 13 and 17.

Rep surprised cops (@PDRMsia) unaware of drug peddling on cybernet

November 15, 2013 

SIBU: The police need to stay steps ahead of criminals who are employing sophisticated tools to commit crime, says Assistant Minister of Youth Development Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

He was reacting to news report that drug addicts could now get their supply (of drugs) by paying for them online and have the drugs delivered to them.

According to the report, the police believed they had uncovered this online supply line after the arrest of three teenage brothers last week for being hooked to ‘ice’, the street name for methamphetamine.

“Well, in this sophisticated world, I am not surprised that the ‘cybernet’ apart from being a tool for communication and gathering information, could be used for illegal transactions.

“In fact, we have heard of other vices like cyber gambling and prostitution being peddled through the cyberspace. So, drug peddling through the ‘cybernet’ is not something impossible.

“I am somewhat surprised that the police are shocked by this new revelation. They should not if they had kept themselves abreast with the development of Internet.

“The police, being the custodian of peace and security, must not rest on their laurel, but must be steps ahead of those who are criminal-minded,” Abdul Karim said.

Abdul Karim: Be firm when instilling discipline in school

August 2, 2013

SIBU: Imposing discipline on school children ought to be carried out firmly, said Assistant Minister of Youth Development Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah who described bullying the weaker as a common phenomenon in school.

“This happened in my school days in the 70’s,” he said when asked to respond to a recent incident where five senior students were arrested by the police for bullying three junior school-mates.

He called for concerted efforts to instil discipline in children.

“The school and the parent-teacher association must work together,” he suggested.

The Asajaya assemblyman said bullies were usually found in schools where the teachers and parents did not have much interaction between them.

Sarawak Teachers’ Union (STU) acting president Jisin Nyud, when contacted, said students would have their studies hindered if there were bullies among them.

“How to focus on your study when you are always in a state of fear?” he questioned.

Support and much praise for ban on ‘smoke’ candies

June 8, 2013

SIBU: The government must stop the sale of food products that could influence consumers to develop an unhealthy lifestyle.

Assistant Youth Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who said this yesterday, added: “Any product that promotes an unhealthy lifestyle should be checked”.

He was asked to comment on the sale of ‘smoke’ candies which look like cigarettes front-paged by The Borneo Post yesterday.

The Food Safety and Quality Unit of Health Ministry had raised the alarm over these candies which are made in China and had issued a stern warning to traders to remove them from the shelves.

Felician Teo, a councillor from Maradong, lauded the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) swift move to clamp down on the sale of these ‘smoke’ candies.

Teo, in supporting the stringent measure, said yesterday nipping the threat posed by the candies in the bud was the right move as kids buying these cadies could be influenced to take up smoking when they grew up.

“MOH is right to act swiftly to ban the so called smoke candies from hitting the streets. Such pre-emptive actions must be lauded as these so called candies can cause young kids to pick up smoking habit later in life.