Day: November 22, 2016

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Tersepitnya Orang Melayu

Orang Melayu kian tersepit. Kos sara hidup menggunung. Itulah rintihan yang sering saya dengar saban hari.

Saya bersembang dengan seorang rakan yang mengendalikan pengoperasian sebuah syarikat penerbangan. Menurutnya, permintaan untuk tempat duduk dalam pesawat untuk pergi menunaikan Umrah berjumlah 1,500 kerusi setiap hari.

Jikalau kita tolak 10 hari untuk Hari Raya Aidil Adha dan 40 hari untuk musim Haji, kita ada 315 hari setahun untuk menunaikan ibadah Umrah. Ini menjadikan jumlah orang Melayu yang pergi menunaikan ibadah Umrah seramai 450,000 orang setahun.

Sekiranya setiap dari 450,000 orang ini pergi dengan pakej termurah yang purata harga pakej sebanyak RM5,000 seorang, maka orang Melayu dari Malaysia membelanjakan sebanyak RM2.25 billion setahun membeli pakej Umrah. Jumlah ini tidak termasuk perbelanjaan tambahan seperti membeli ayam goreng Al-Baik sebagai makanan tambahan, minyak atar, sejadah, jubah, tasbih dan lain-lain untuk kegunaan sendiri atau saudara-mara rakan-taulan, atau cokelat kurma di Pasaraya Dawood.

Begitulah tersepitnya orang Melayu. Ini belum cerita mengenai beg LV yang dibeli di Malaysia untuk dibawa ke pejabat, bercuti di Korea, baby shower, bachelor party, iPhone terbaharu, kopi di kedai kopi hipster dan reload prepaid untuk data agar boleh meroyan di Internet menceritakan betapa terhimpitnya mereka ini.

Saya amat mengasihani keadaan mereka seperti seekor ikan yang sayang akan pasir di pantai.

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Defence: Friendship Expanded Through Exercise Aman Youyi 3/2016

A major disaster strikes and the damage to infrastructure massive. Despite an overwhelming situation, friendly countries extend assistance through their military to rescue and treat injured survivors as well as provide humanitarian relief aid.

That was the scenario displayed during the opening ceremony of Exercise Aman Youyi 3/2016, conducted jointly by the Malaysian Armed Forces and the People’s Liberation Army of China at the Paya Indah Wetlands in Dengkil, Selangor.

The exercise uses humanitarian assistance and disaster relief as theme is conducted through Staff Exercise (STAFFEX) with the aim to establish a Standard Operating Procedure and enhance interoperability in the event of a disaster.

This exercise is another major development and an extension to the exercise by Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak to further enhance the 42-year old friendship between Malaysia and China last month.

Officiating the ceremony was Chief of the Malaysian Armed Forces, General Tan Sri Dato’ Seri (Dr) Haji Zulkifeli bin Mohd Zin and Chief of Joint Staff PLA, General Fang Fenghui.

In his speech General Haji Zulkifeli said that humanitarian assistance and disaster relief was adopted as the backdrop of the exercise because the Asia-Pacific region suffered approximately 160 disasters in 2015 resulting in 16,000 deaths and a loss of about USD45.1 billion.

Therefore the synchronisation of collective multinational measures will determine the efficiency and success of humanitarian assistance.

Also in attendance were the Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia His Excellency Dr Huang Huikang, and Team Leader for the Royal Thai Armed Forces observers Major General Thitichai Tiantong.

A total of 410 personnel are involved in this exercise namely 215 from Malaysia and 195 from China, with 10 observers from the Royal Thai Armed Forces.