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  • Komentar: Tidak Perlu Menghina Pengunaan Sesuatu Bahasa dan Para Penggunanya

    Komentar: Tidak Perlu Menghina Pengunaan Sesuatu Bahasa dan Para Penggunanya

    Isu Bahasa & Agama: Tidak Perlu Menghina Pengunaan Sesuatu Bahasa dan Para Penggunanya

    Baru-baru ini ada tengkarah mengenai penggunaan bahasa yang digunakan dalam kelas-kelas agama yang dijalankan di sebuah Masjid.

    Si ayah mengatakan yang beliau rasa “ditipu” kerana anaknya hadir dalam kelas madrasah sambilan yang menggunakan bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa pengantar dan bukan bahasa Inggeris, sebagaimana yang dikatakan ayah tersebut. Kata-kata yang diluahkan ayah tersebut telah mengundang reaksi yang pelbagai.

    Satu bentuk reaksi adalah kehampaan terhadap ayah tersebut yang telah mencemuh pihak Masjid dan juga para pengguna bahasa Melayu.

    Sekiranya benar bagai dikata oleh ayah tersebut, maka seharusnya pihak Masjid terbabit pastikan yang kelas-kelas madrasahnya menggunakan bahasa Inggeris dan bukan bahasa lain. Dan pihak Masjid sudahpun berikan respons yang cepat untuk tangani maklumbalas tersebut dengan segera, sambil memohon maaf.

    Namun, pada masa yang sama juga, isu ini sebenarnya dapat ditangani dengan cara yang lebih bijak. Sekiranya nak bawa juga isu ini ke tengah melalui media sosial, pendekatan yang lebih merendahkan diri akan lebih meraih simpati dan sokongan ramai. Dan setentunya, terdapat pilihan lain untuk tangani isu secara bersemuka – bertemu dengan pihak Masjid terbabit dan dapatkan penjelasan secara terus-menerus tanpa melalui hiruk-pikuk media sosial sebagai perantaraan.

    Satu perkara yang susah untuk dilepaskan atau dibiarkan begitu sahaja adalah sikap yang tertonjol jelas melalui episod ini.

    Apakah yang sikap tersebut?

    Iaitu sikap negatif terhadap penggunaan bahasa Melayu dalam pengajaran Agama. Episod ini, tidak secara langsung, mempamerkan betapa bahasa Melayu dan para penggunanya dipandang begitu rendah sekali oleh sesetengah golongan yang kelihatannya seperti berbangsa Melayu. Dan pandangan negatif itu menjadi lebih negatif apabila ianya dibawa ke dalam konteks pengajaran Agama.

    Mengapakah sampai begitu negatif sekali tanggapan sesetengah pihak terhadap penggunaan Bahasa Melayu dan para penggunanya, apatah lagi dalam konteks pengajaran Agama?

    Dan di sini juga, bukanlah berniat untuk mempertikaikan penggunaan Bahasa Inggeris dan penggunaan dalam pengajaran Agama.

    BUKAN.

    Nak pakai Bahasa Inggeris, pakailah. Silakan.

    Isunya adalah, apakah perlu memperlekehkan Bahasa Melayu dan para penggunanya dalam kontek mempertikaikan apa yang dikatakan dijanjikan oleh pihak Masjid terbabit berbanding apa yang disajikan dalam kelas?

    Tidak ada sesiapapun akan mempertikaikan hak seseorang untuk mendapatkan apa yang dijanjikan oleh pihak lain. Dan sekiranya didapati betul akan tuntutan hak tersebut, pihak yang menjanjikan memang seharusnya memenuhi janji tersebut dan memohon maaf sekiranya tidak melaksanakan janji tersebut.

    Namun, dalam menuntut hak tersebut, tidak perlu untuk melakukannya dengan cara menghina sesuatu bahasa dan para penggunanya.

     

    Source: Mohd Khair

  • Singapore Brothers Compete Against Each Other In M’sian Motorbike Race

    Singapore Brothers Compete Against Each Other In M’sian Motorbike Race

    Undoubtedly, every young motorcycle racer aspires to race on the international stage and have their names on the lips of talent scouts.

    Last weekend, 11 young riders from six Asian countries began pursuing their dreams by taking part in a one-make race called the KTM RC Cup Asia at the Sepang International Circuit.

    Aged between 14 and 22, the riders, who rode KTM RC390 sportsbikes, competed in Round 1 of five rounds in what was categorised as the Orange Class.

    Of the 11 riders, two of them were Singaporean brothers who have been racing regionally these past few years.

    Their mother, Madam Mazlindah Abdul Ma’moon, told The New Paper she was nervous but proud to see both youths representing the country.

    The 47-year-old, who works in a bank, said: “I must admit there was some fear, because they had never raced in the same event before… There was double pressure for me.”

    Fortunately, there were no crashes or drama between Muhammad Aiman Nabil Shaharum, 16, and Arsyad Rusydi Shaharum, 19.

    Aiman, who is supported by local KTM distributor DirtWheel Motor, said: “If anything happened between my brother and me on the circuit, it would have been an awkward car ride back to Singapore. But I think having him in the same race was beneficial as we could strategise how to win.”

    Aiman finished the weekend with two top-five spots. He was fifth on Saturday’s race and fourth on Sunday at the circuit’s 2.6km South Track.

    Aiman, who will be starting his polytechnic education next month, said: “All the others were experienced riders. It was my first time on the KTM RC390, and I started riding it only a week before the races.”

    The race weekend was dominated by Malaysian riders such as Round 1 overall winner M. Ibrahim Mohd Norrodin.

    Competition was stiff with the top riders crossing the finish line within the blink of an eye from one another.

    The winners stand a chance to race in the world final in Europe with the possibility of participating in the prestigious RedBull Rookies Cup.

    KTM’s executive director for South-east Asia, Mr Selvaraj Narayana, said: “The races were closely fought, which was what we hoped for… We could also see the racing level of the riders significantly improving from the first day to the second.”

    Aside from Asia, there are eight other KTM RC Cups being run worldwide in countries such as Germany, the US and France.

    Aiman, who is too young to have a motorcycle licence, said he “does not care” to get one as his parents forbid him from riding on public roads.

    Madam Mazlindah said: “My sons race in a controlled environment. There are no heavy vehicles apart from the other motorcycles. I feel confident as they are in full riding gear.”

     

    Source: TNP

  • New On-Road Bicycle Lane To Open On Public Road In Changi East

    New On-Road Bicycle Lane To Open On Public Road In Changi East

    Cyclists will be able to travel safely alongside cars from April 22 when the island’s first on-road bicycle lane opens in Changi East.

    There will be a 10km-long, dedicated 2m-wide lane for two-wheelers on both sides of the extended Tanah Merah Coast Road. The bicycle lane, which can fit two cyclists riding abreast, will be demarcated from the vehicular carriageway.

    Raised chevron-shaped markings will help alert motorists when they veer into it, and red markings will also alert cyclists to look out for turning vehicles. The cycling lane will also be diverted behind bus stops to minimise interaction between buses and cyclists.

    While on-road cycling lanes were launched on Sentosa last year, this is the first time that they are making a debut on a public road on the mainland.

    The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said new bicycle lanes will provide an alternative for cyclists who frequent the 6km Changi Coast Road, which will close on April 22.

    LTA made clear, however, that it does not have plans to build more on-road cycling lanes.

    “Given the lack of land in Singapore, LTA will focus on building off-road cycling paths. They are much safer for the majority of cyclists and personal mobility device users,” said a spokesman.

    Under the National Cycling Plan, the Government will build 700km of cycling paths by 2030 – in a bid to reduce car usage. While neighbourhoods such as Tampines have cycling paths, these are separated from the road infrastructure.

    Works to extend and widen Tanah Merah Coast Road, which started in 2014, are meant to facilitate construction of a third runway at the airport and Terminal 5.

    The road was widened from a dual two-lane road to a three-lane road and extended to hug the eastern coastline and link to Aviation Park Road.

    There will be a new park connector running along the extended Tanah Merah Coast Road, linking the one coming from East Coast Park and another one along Aviation Park Road.

     

    Source: ST

  • Heroic Republic Poly Staff Saves Family Before Engine Burst

    Heroic Republic Poly Staff Saves Family Before Engine Burst

    He was taking a break with his colleagues at about 3.30pm on Sunday (March 26) when he saw smoke coming out from the bonnet of a nearby car.

    What horrified Mr Ramzie Ramzan, 38, an audio and visual technician with Republic Polytechnic (RP), was a couple with their young daughter, believed to be about six or seven years old, inside the car, which was on Woodlands Avenue 9.

    “We ran towards the car, shouting for the family to get out in case the car caught fire or worse, exploded,” he told The New Paper.

    Thanks to Mr Ramzie and his colleagues’ quick reactions, the family got out of the car just moments before the engine burst into flames.

    By the time Mr Ramzie and his colleagues got to the car, the fire had grown to about the height of the car.

    “We then rushed back to the RP control room to grab a few fire extinguishers because we needed to control the fire as it was a busy road.

    “It was scary, definitely, but our main concern was ensuring nothing worse happened because it was a busy street with much traffic,” he said.

     

    “It was just a basic instinct. As a father of three, I was just concerned for others and just a spontaneous reaction to help,” he said.

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • Singaporean Couple Starved Filipina Maid For 15 Months, Gets 3-Months Jail Sentence

    Singaporean Couple Starved Filipina Maid For 15 Months, Gets 3-Months Jail Sentence

    A Singaporean couple – Lim Choon Hong and his wife Chong Sui Foon – were jailed on Monday (27 March) for starving their Filipina domestic worker over a period of 15 months between 2013 and 2014.

    Lim, a trader, was jailed three weeks and fined S$10,000, while Chong was jailed for three months. The couple have four children.

    The couple’s maid Thelma Oyasan Gawidan, who is in her 40s, was given only white bread and instant noodles to eat twice a day during the period. By the time she ran away in April 2014 and sought help from migrant advocacy group HOME, Gawidan had lost almost 20kg and weighed just 29kg.

    According to media reports, the prosecution will appeal against the sentences, having asked for a year’s jail for each of them. For their offences, the couple could have been jailed up to one year each and/or fined $10,000 each.

    The couple, who are both 47 and have four children, were found guilty in March 2016 of failing to provide Gawidan with enough food while she was employed by them.

    The couple also paid Gawidan $20,000 as part of a settlement agreement, which precludes Gawidan from suing them in civil proceedings.

    Chong had claimed that her actions were due to her mental illness as she had been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder as an adult.

    Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com