The Independent Insight

Giving truth a voice

Does China Invented Industrial Espionage?

By

I was discussing a project today with my manager. Along the way, he mentioned that China is a “copycat” country rather than an innovation country. It made me think. Is this statement reasonable?

Have you ever wonder how did the west get the great inventions such as the compass, gun powder, movable block press, or even paper?

How about porcelain making? The truth is that China was one of the first victims of industrial espionage by none other than the “great Greek civilization” that westerners love so much.

Monks smuggled silkworms from China to the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire), which formed its economic foundation for around 650 years.

A delegation of eastern orthodox monks under Justinian broke two monopolies in the East – China on silk production and Persia on the silk trade routes to the West – by smuggling silkworms to the West.

The resulting monopoly was the foundation for the Byzantine economy for the next 650 years until its demise in 1204.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Chinese alone possessed the ability to produce high-end “hard-paste” porcelain, an expensive material beloved by Europe’s elites. In the 1680s, a French Jesuit, Pere d’Entrecolles, traveled to China, where he saw the kilns and likely read technical works on the subject.

In September 1712, he wrote that while visiting Jingdezhen, then known as the porcelain capital of China, he had compiled “a minute description of all that concerns this kind of work.”

Within a few decades, a porcelain factory in Sévres, France, was producing hard-paste porcelain on par with the Chinese product. In a further twist, the British managed to swipe the secrets from the French, inaugurating Britain’s high-end porcelain industry.

China didn’t invent industrial espionage

China didn’t Invent Economic Spying.

Some might say that there were no international laws or intellectual property laws back then.

What about Britain stealing Chinese tea making secrets?
It is one of the greatest acts of corporate espionage ever committed.

The British East India Company faced the loss of its monopoly on the fantastically lucrative tea trade with China, forcing it to make the drastic decision of sending Scottish botanist Robert Fortune to steal the crop from deep within China and bring it back to British plantations in India.

Strange. It says that Britain sent a botanist to steal a unique crop from China. Does it sound like “honorable white people” are breaking laws?
Alternatively, it was just one of the thousands “isolated event”?

The U.S., and for that matter, almost every Western nation, might wish to remember their own, no-holds-barred campaigns to swipe industrial secrets.

Throughout the 18th century, every European power attempted to rip off industrial secrets.
One nation, in particular, was known for using the illicit methods to great advantage: the U.S.

In the country’s very first years, aspiring industrialists looked to Europe and quickly learned to take the easy way out, stealing instead of inventing.

Over the past 15 years, the FBI has chronicled numerous cases involving France, Germany, Japan, Israel, and South Korea. An FBI analysis of 173 nations found that 57 were covertly trying to obtain advanced technologies from U.S. corporations. Altogether, 100 countries spent some public funds on acquiring U.S. technology. Former French Intelligence Director Pierre Marion put it succinctly when he said,

“In economics, we are competitors, not allies. America has the most technical information of relevance. It is easily accessible. So naturally, your country will receive the most attention from the intelligence services.”

Glenn Greenwald in his book says the NSA eavesdrops on 20 billion communications a day — and planted bugs in Cisco equipment headed overseas.

Did you still remember the former CIA employee Edward Snowden?

Snowden claimed that the NSA planted backdoors in Cisco products
Why don’t you complain about them? Is it because when the west and its “allies” (who are militarily occupied against their will) does it, it’s honorable and just?

To summarize what had we been discussing so far, the West has been stealing from China for over a thousand years to further their economies. From silkworms to tea, until the late Qing dynasty, the West was still in an inferior trade position with their demand for Chinese products like tea and porcelain being well known.

The West ended up compensating with barbarism and drugging China at gunpoint with the Opium Wars. Hilariously, the West is perpetually in an inferior trade imbalance position. In the past, it was due to strong demand for expensive Chinese products with no reciprocal demand for western products. Today, even when China is labeled with low quality and cheap products, the West STILL suffers from a trade imbalance.

Although typically glossed over in high-school textbooks, as a young and newly industrializing nation, the U.S. aggressively engaged in the kind of intellectual-property theft it now insists other countries prohibit.
In other words, the U.S. government’s message to China and other nations today is “Do as I say, not as I did.”

In its adolescent years, the U.S. was a hotbed of intellectual piracy and technology smuggling, particularly in the textile industry, acquiring both machines and skilled machinists in violation of British export and emigration laws.

Piracy and Fraud Propelled the U.S. Industrial Revolution

Alexander Hamilton’s “Report on Manufactures,” submitted to Congress in December 1791 mentioned that to procure all such machines as are known in any part of Europe can only require a proper provision and due pains. He also added that the knowledge of several of the most important of them is already possessed. The preparation of them here is, in most cases, practicable on nearly equal terms.

Notice that Hamilton wasn’t urging the development of indigenous inventions to compete with Europe but rather the direct procurement of European technologies through “proper provision and due pains” — meaning, breaking the laws of other countries.”

When Charles Dickens arrived in Boston in 1842, he was startled to see what Americans would do for profit. He found the city’s bookstores rife with pirated copies of his novels, along with those of his countrymen. Dickens would later deliver lectures decrying the practice, and wrote home in outrage: “my blood so boiled as I thought of the monstrous injustice.”

Dark side of American “innovation.”

In the chaos following World War II, some of the greatest spoils of Germany’s resources were the Third Reich’s scientific minds. The U.S. government secretly decided that the value of these former Nazis’ knowledge outweighed their crimes and began a covert operation code-named Paperclip to allow them to work in the U.S. without the public’s full knowledge.

Joint Intelligence Objective Agency, or JOIA, had decided that these scientists were too valuable to the U.S. to allow to fall into Soviet hands. This American covert operation was one of the most guarded U.S. government secrets of the 20th century. Some of the scientists who were part of it were Otto Ambros (a chemist who served as director of the German corporation that produced the gas used in the death camps), Arthur Rudolph (rocket scientist who played a vital role in the V-2 rocket program),
Kurt Blome (virologist who pioneered Hitler’s secret germ warfare program).

To recap, America supported a nation-wide policy of intellectual theft and sheltered the 20th century’s two most hated war criminals in order to gain technology that was paid for by the blood of thousands of horrifically tortured and murdered victims – while preaching breathlessly about international law, innovation, freedom, and justice.

So tell me again, does China really invented industrial espionage?

Sources:

  1. Philology report, Stanford University. (2011)
  2. Silk, Power & Diplomacy in Byzantium, Anna Maria Muthesius, Cambridge University. (1992)
  3. For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World’s Favorite Drink and Changed History, Sarah Rose (2009)
  4. No Place to Hide, Glenn Greenwald (2014)
  5. Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America, Annie Jacobsen (2014)
  6. The Growth of Economic Espionage: America Is Target Number One, Peter Schweizer (1996)

Hikayat Din Kapal : Pahlawan Yang Kehilangan Keris

By

gambar ihsan Flickr

*Tulisan ini adalah dari sudut pandang penulis sahaja.

Saya ada seorang kawan. Nama panggilannya Din Kapal, kerana dia juga datang dari bidang kerja yang sama seperti saya dahulu, di syarikat perkapalan walaupun dia dan saya tidak lah bekerja di bawah satu bumbung.

Di waktu lapang, kami gemar meluangkan masa bersama di kedai mamak, menghirup kopi panas bercawan-cawan, diselang seli dengan asap tembakau import (sebelum di ban kerajaan Malaysia). Macam-macam yang kami bualkan, boleh jadi hal sukan, boleh jadi hal ekonomi semasa, malah hal politik pun boleh menjadi agenda kecil kami.

Din Kapal mempunyai pegangan politik yang cukup kuat, suatu pegangan yang corak politiknya jauh berbeza jika dibandingkan dengan saya. Saya masih ingat lagi sewaktu beberapa minggu sebelum pilihan raya umum yang lepas, Din Kapal dengan yakin memberitahu saya bahawa mereka akan menang besar dan nasib rakyat akan lebih terbela dengan adil dan saksama. Malah, isu “kleptokrasi” yang sering diperkatakan beliau itu bakal diselesaikan dengan segera dan seterusnya bakal sekadar menjadi titik hitam yang lama-kelamaan akan dilupakan oleh rakyat di negara berdaulat ini.

Apa yang Din Kapal katakan pada malam itu sedikit sebanyak menjentik perasaan ingin tahu saya. Apakah benar sudah tiba masanya negara ini memerlukan acuan dan haluan yang baru? Saya hanya tersenyum dan saya katakan pada Din Kapal, jika benar apa yang beliau katakan, jika benar bahawa kerajaan baharu boleh mengubah kehidupan rakyat menjadi lebih baik, jika benar ekonomi negara berterusan berkembang pesat berlandaskan wawasan ke arah negara maju, dan badan kepimpinan baharu akan mengurus tadbir negara berpaksikan pada teras adil tanpa mengira agama dan bangsa, apa salahnya?

10 Mei 2018, Din Kapal merupakan salah seorang dari ribuan rakyat Malaysia yang bersama-sama berkongsi kegembiraan atas kemenangan perjuangan mereka, yang sekali gus menandakan bermulanya era baru negara dengan kepimpinan yang baharu, dengan azam dan matlamat yang baharu, atas nama Malaysia Baharu. Beliau malah sempat menghantar pesanan ringkas kepada saya pada pagi itu, yang antaranya masih saya ingat berbunyi “rakyat bijak, rakyat memilih”. Saya berfikir, ada betulnya kata Din Kapal itu. Dalam sesebuah hierarki kerajaan, rakyat berada di tapaknya, di kumpulan paling bawah, yang paling besar. Hilang tapak, runtuhlah semua. Tak tertegak rumah, kalau hilang sendinya. Jadi pada hemat saya, Din Kapal berkata benar. Kuasa “rakyat memilih” ini bukanlah perkara yang kita boleh pandang kecil.

Hari demi hari dibawah kerajaan baharu, Din Kapal semakin rancak berbicara soal politik. Ada kesempatan dan waktu, kami pasti berjumpa di kedai kopi dan berdiskusi tentang isu-isu semasa walaupun kadang kala perlu berganjak 3 meter dari meja. Adakalanya, saya cuba mencelah dan memberi buah pandangan kerdil dari mata seorang rakyat. Yang peliknya, hampir semua hujah yang saya berikan tidak lagi valid dimata Din Kapal hanya kerana ia datang dari kaca mata seorang pembangkang.

Minggu berganti minggu, dan secara tiba-tiba Din Kapal menyepi. Tidak ada lagi pesanan ringkas, tidak ada lagi kopi, tidak ada lagi politik. Saya pernah mencuba beberapa kali untuk bertanyakan khabar kepada beliau dan bertanya kalau-kalau beliau dalam kesusahan dan kerunsingan yang boleh dikongsi bersama. Namun hingga kini, beliau lebih selesa untuk mendiamkan diri dan menonton drama TV tiga dari duduk semeja.

Environmental impact of shipping

By

picture source : Seasprout

Introduction

More than 90% of global trade is done with ships. Marine transportation still has a steady growth rate of 4% p.a. This lead to the catastrophic level of air pollution around the world. The emission from the ships has long been considered as one of the major factors that contributing to this problem. Most of the research conducted by region, transportations considered as one of the primary contributors to the air pollution with average 25%.

As we know, most of the merchant ships are still using diesel engine. Like most engines, the fuel is burned inside the engine through the combustion process with the presence of air and ignition. The sulfur compound from the fuel became sulfur oxides and the nitrogen became nitrogen oxides after reacting with oxygen at certain pressure and temperature. These gases were released to the open air through the ship’s funnel.

What will happen to the environment?


picture source : DK Group

The high level of SOx and NOx can significantly influencing ecosystem health. SOx will oxides further through chemical reactions and forming sulfuric acid that eventually creates acid rain. Besides, these gases have adverse effects on the ozone layer in the troposphere, which resulting the greenhouse effect and may contribute to the global warming.

Rules and regulation

This problem was already recognised years ago, resulting stricter regulation in some area known as emission control areas (ECAs). International Maritime Organization (IMO) had laid down the MARPOL Annex VI in 1997. The EU has implemented these rules in their directives European Union 1999 and European Union 2012 for the North and Baltic seas, which known as sulfur emission control areas (SECAs). This means, any ships that trading into these areas must use fuel that contains not more than 0.1% sulfur. Outside SECAs, the allowed sulfur content in ship fuels is currently at 3.5% but it will be reduced to 0.5% starting on January 2020.

NOx are also regulated in MARPOL Annex VI. Since the year 2000 the NOx limits for new building ships has been set at 17gkWh-1 for low-speed engines or in simple word, the ships must use engines that comply with the IMO tier I regulation. The NOx regulation has been further revised in 2010 and 2016 respectively.  

Future shipping emission


picture source : Caterpillar Inc.

In a report produced by Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, it predicted that in 2030, about 6000 ships in North Sea will run on LNG, much cleaner fuel with zero emission of SOx. Ships that sail more than 50 % of the time in North and Baltic seas will preferably use LNG.  Today, LNG is still considered expensive and the LNG infrastructures is still not built up to provide LNG to many ships. Another fuel option that can be consider is methanol. The comparison between LNG and methanol are still in debate.

Therefore, ship owners will prefer ow sulfur fuels and catalyst (SCR) or exhaust gas recirculation system (EGR) to comply with the rules. Some will use scrubbers only, if they do not have to comply with the Tier III regulations (older ships).

References

  1. International Maritime Organization, MARPOL Annex VI
  2. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 759-776, 2016
  3. University of Utah, “The Air We Breathe”

Ship Recycling – The History & Regulations

By

History

Ships have always been valuable and have always been recycled. They are the greatest assets ever moved in bulk that representing such investment that entire new system of banking and government have been designed to finance them.

Given their value, ships does not simply disappear once they are no longer seaworthy. The wood from the earliest dog out canoe for example, would have provided walls and shelters to the people. The fitting on the Viking’s longship has been benefited the local village with the high quality timber and the copper on the ship’s bottom have been invaluable in the future construction projects.

Another famous example is the luxurious departmental store in London ; Liberty that has been constructed from the timbers of the fighting ships HMS Impregnable and HMS Hindustan in 1875.

As shipbuilding advances, iron and steel had replaced the woods. As a result, ship scrapping played a major part in resourcing the industrial revolution. After the World War II, a vast amount of steel available from the redundant warships and cargo ships. These ships were scrapped at places such as Inverkeithing in Britain and yielded approximately 500,000 tonnes of high quality steel.

The ship scrapping industry continued in places such as La Spezia, Italy and Japan.

During 1980s, Kaohsiung port in Taiwan and Alang, a coastal town in Indian state of Gujarat experienced their first major growth spurt in scrapping following by Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The shipping industry was slow to notice these development. This isn’t surprising as once the ship were set to be scrapped, the original owner is commonly unaware of its destination.

Regulation Enforcement

In 1995, The Baltimore Sun became the first media to became aware of the issues after Will Englund reported the issues surrounding ship recycling when USS Coral Sea was being scrapped in Brownsville. This lead to the prosecution on the responsible company under the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. Englund and investigative reporter, Gary Cohn published a series of articles exposing the worst excesses of shipbreaking around the world. They won Pulitzer Prize on 1998 for the fascinating reports.

The first Global Ship Scrapping Summit was held in Amsterdam in 1999. “Ship Recycling” term has been introduced for the first time by Jim Davies of the International Maritime Industries Forum (IMIF). He asserted that ship recycling was actually an enviably efficient process. An ‘Industry Working Group on Ship Recycling’ was rapidly formed under the chairmanship of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), consisting of the major shipping industry bodies. The group delivered the first practical guidance on ship recycling – the Industry Code of Practice on Ship Recycling in August 2001.

Other non-shipping legislative organizations followed the Working Group’s lead and issued guidance on ship recycling. The Basel Convention published Technical

Guidelines for the Environmentally Sound Management of the Full and Partial Dismantling of Ships in 2003, and the International Labor Organization (ILO) published Safety and Health in Shipbreaking: Guidelines for Asian Countries and Turkey in 2004.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) was also spurred on by the shipping industry’s initiative. The subject was formally introduced at IMO’s 43rd

Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) in 1999 when Norway proposed a new work item on ship scrapping. At MEPC 44 a correspondence group

was set up under the chairmanship of Bangladesh and at MEPC 46 in April 2001 a Working Group was established.

Despite the IMO Guidelines, there was still potential for confusion for owners wishing to recycle their ships, especially given the other recycling-related legislation which existed – legislation such as the Basel Convention. The only way forward was to create statutory requirements by developing a legally binding international convention.

The IMO set an ambitious deadline to complete this within the 2008/2009 biennium. Norway, in particular, acted very strongly in support of this and provided the first draft for discussion at MEPC 55. The text was developed over three and a half years with input from IMO member states and relevant non-governmental organisations, and in co-operation with the International Labour Organization and the Parties to the Basel Convention. Lloyd’s Register, through IACS and discussions with other stakeholders, was also actively involved in the Convention’s development. Such was the impetus at the IMO that the deadline was achieved and the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships was adopted in May 2009.

 

 

Ulasan: Cadangan caj tambahan untuk kenderaan dan perkhidmatan feri Pulau Pinang

By

 

Saya terpanggil untuk memberikan komen dan buah pandangan terhadap berita yang dilaporkan oleh Utusan Online semalam yang mana sebuah laporan bertajuk “Caj kenderaan berdaftar di luar P. Pinang elak kesesakan” telah di muat naik di portal tersebut.

Jason Ong Khan Lee (PKR-Kebun Bunga) telah mencadangkan agar Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang untuk mengenakan caj terhadap kenderaan yang bukan berdaftar di Pulau Pinang. Alasannya adalah kerana Pulau Pinang kini menghadapi kesesakan disebabkan kebanjiran 1 juta kenderaan yang masuk ke Pulau Pinang. Ujarnya lagi, dengan pelaksanaan caj tambahan ini, ia juga dapat menggalakkan orang ramai untuk menggunakan perkhidmatan awam terutamanya para pelancong.

Di dalam masa yang sama, beliau juga mencadangkan agar penumpang yang menggunakan khidmat feri dari Georgetown ke Butterworth dikenakan caj yang sama seperti dari Butterworth ke Georgetown. Buat masa ini, hanya perjalanan masuk dari Butterworth ke Georgetown sahaja dikenakan caj.

Ada 2 isu yang dibangkitkan; yang pertama caj tambahan untuk kenderaan yang bukan berdaftar di Pulau Pinang dan yang kedua ialah caj tambahan perkhidmatan feri. Kedua-dua perkara ini jelas menambahkan beban kepada orang ramai, bertentangan dengan janji kerajaan baharu untuk mengurangkan kos sara hidup rakyat. Tak ubah seperti harapkan pagar, pagar makan padi.

Berkenaan isu pertama, bagaimanakah sistem caj tambahan baharu ini akan berfungsi? Apakah mekanisme yang sesuai untuk memantau kenderaan yang masuk ke Pulau Pinang ini? Adakah ini bermaksud setiap kenderaan yang bukan menggunakan nombor pendaftaran Pulau Pinang akan dikenakan caj?

Tidakkah beliau tahu bahawa kenderaan-kenderaan yang tidak menggunakan pendaftaran Pulau Pinang ini bukanlah terdiri dari pelancong secara total? Saya rasa perkara ini bukanlah perkara yang terlalu rumit untuk difahami, malah di mana-mana negeri dalam Malaysia pun begitu keadaannya. Jika begitu pelaksanaan yang di kemukakan, saya mencadangkan agar semua negeri-negeri yang lain untuk turut sama mengenakan caj bagi setiap kereta yang berdaftar di Pulau Pinang ini yang masuk ke negeri mereka. Barulah adil kan?

Selain itu, adakah beliau yakin bahawa dengan memperkenalkan caj baharu ini akan menggalakkan orang ramai untuk menggunakan perkhidmatan awam? Congestion Alleviation Transport (CAT) yang dilancarkan oleh kerajaan negeri merupakan satu inisiatif yang patut dipuji dalam menangani permasalahan ini, namun adakah beliau yakin bahawa 52 buah bas ini (tidak termasuk Rapid dan BEST) mampu menampung 1.6 juta penduduk yang berada di Pulau Pinang ini? Katakan hanya 50% dari jumlah penduduk ini menggunakan perkhidmatan bas CAT ini, bermakna sebuah bas perlu menampung sehingga 15,300 penumpang setiap hari secara kasar. Selain itu saya juga tertanya-tanya, adakah beliau sendiri pernah menggunakan perkhidmatan awam ini?

Berkenaan dengan caj tambahan feri, adakah beliau sedar bahawa dengan pengenalan caj tambahan ini akan menambahkan lagi kesesakan di jambatan Pulau Pinang secara tidak langsung. Jika caj tambahan ini dilaksanakan, setiap kereta yang menggunakan perkhidmatan feri ini bakal membayar RM 15.40 (RM 7.70 sehala) setiap hari berbanding menggunakan tol jambatan Pulau Pinang yang jauh lebih murah, iaitu hanya RM 5.60 sehala. Beliau perlu tahu bahawa secara purata, 15,000 kereta menggunakan jambatan pertama ini setiap hari yang tidak termasuk bilangan motosikal. Sepatutnya kerajaan negeri perlu mencari inisiatif lain dengan berbincang dengan pihak JKSB untuk menggalakkan penggunaan jambatan kedua seperti pengurangan caj tol misalnya.

Beliau juga berkata bahawa “kita mahu menggerakkan manusia dan bukannya kenderaan”. Penyataan ini saya rasa saling tak tumpah dengan kenyataan kawan beliau yang suatu ketika tak lama dulu menyuruh nelayan menanam rambutan belakang rumah.

*Hasil tulian kiriman pengirim

*Entri ini tidak menggambarkan pendirian  laman web The Independent Insight

FundMyHOME: Yay or Nay?

By

Image source : Yahoo SG

In the recent Budget 2019 speech presented by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, he mentioned on a scheme to help the Malaysian to own a house. It is called “FundMyHome”, the first peer-to-peer (P2P) financing scheme in Malaysia which initiated by EdgeProp Sdn. Bhd.

How the scheme works?

You can picture it as a crowdfunding to buy a property which involving 3 parties: Developer, Investor and of course you as the Buyer.

Buyer and investor will buy the property together from the developer based on the equity percentage 20% and 80%. The buyer will choose the completed property on their website and pay 20% from the property price. On the other hands, FundMyHome will find the investor to buy the remaining 80% shares.

The investor will get a steady 5% return per annum for 5 years while you as a buyer will have a 5-year staying period without having to pay a single cent. After 5 years, buyer can choose to sell or own the property by buying the remaining 80% equity based on the market price.

For example : Fathi is buying a Rm 200,000 property through this scheme. He needs to pay RM 40,000 (20%) while investor will pay the remaining RM 160,000 (80%). At the end of the 5th year, the property value assessed at RM 255,256 (Assuming the property price appreciate 5% per annum). If Fathi decide to buy the property, he needs to buy the remaining 80% equity from the investor based on the market price (80% x RM 255,256 = RM 204,204)

Different scenario if the property has 0% or negative appreciation in value which I think most likely will not be the case.

Is it good or bad?

Let’s see from the buyer’s perspective. From the way I see it, their main target clients would be the first-time home buyer and those that did not get any loan offer from the banks due to bad credit rating. It may sound pretty and hassle free but you need to know the consequences in a long run.

Most of the people I know are buying property either for own stay or investment.
If you are buying the house for own stay and you are eligible for bank loan, I would not recommend this scheme. You might end up paying more than the initial price. But if you are looking for investment, you can still consider this option as long as what you gain is more than what you pay. Bear in mind, the rental period is just limited to 5 years and the risk is high.

From the news and articles I found over the web, some says the scheme is the place where the developers dump their unsold property and selling them way above the market price. To be fair, I would not say that this scheme is totally bad. It might suit some people based on their financial situation and needs. Whatever it is, the choice is yours.

‘Athirah’: Dilema Seorang Isteri

By

sumber foto : Jakarta Globe

IMDB Rating : 7.6/10
Author Rating: 9/10

Sejujurnya jiwa saya tersentuh dengan lakonan Cut Mini Theo sebagai “Bu Mus” di dalam filem “Laskar Pelangi”. Lalu ia membuatkan saya terpanggil untuk menonton filem ini yang watak utamanya iaitu Athirah juga diterajui oleh Cut Mini Theo, di samping posternya yang penuh teka-teki.

Filem Athirah ini atau judul lainnya “Emma” di pentas internasional (atau dalam bahasa melayunya “Emak”) merupakan filem tahun 2016 arahan sutradara Indonesia, Riri Riza. Filem ini diadaptasi dari novel biografi Hajjah Athirah Kalla, iaitu ibu kepada Jusuf Kalla (Wakil Presiden Indonesia ke-12) karangan Alberthiene Endah.

Filem ini berkisar tentang kehidupan Athirah sebagai seorang isteri dan ibu bersama suaminya Puang Ajji yang pada awalnya berhijrah ke Makassar. Mereka lalu mendirikan sebuah perniagaan di Kota Makassar sehingga berjaya dan digelar saudagar paling kaya di kota itu.

Puang Ajji digambarkan sebagai seorang yang taat pada tuntutan agama dan sering menyumbang pada badan kebajikan. Akhirnya pada suatu masa, Puang Ajji sering lewat pulang ke rumah dan kadangkala kerap ke luar kota dengan alasan kerja.

Keadaan ini menimbulkan buah mulut orang ramai. Athirah mengesyaki seperti ada yang tidak kena lalu dia menyelidik perkara sebenar dengan menyoal pekerja Puang Ajji, Daeng Rusdi. Akhirnya Daeng Rusdi meceritakan bahawa Puang Ajji telah berkahwin dengan isteri yang ke dua di Jakarta.

Mengetahui hal sebenar, Athirah mula berperang dengan perasaannya sendiri. Dia berada di dalam konflik demi mempertahankan keluarga tercintanya. Puang Ajji cuba untuk memujuk isterinya dengan alasan bahawa dia tidak sesekali lupa pada tanggungjawabnya dan sering mengingatkan anak-anaknya tentang soal agama.

Kehidupan Athirah dan anak-anaknya mulai berubah.

Di sinilah titik tolak konflik kehidupan yang sering melanda Athirah serta anak lelakinya, Ucu. Akhirnya Athirah membuat keputusan untuk pulang ke kampung halamannya untuk menenangkan fikiran.

Di kampung, ibunya menceritakan bagaimana kesusahan yang menimpanya di zaman penjajah Belanda dan kisah bagaimana asal-usul keluarganya sebagai penenun kain. Dari situ Athirah tertarik dengan seni tenunan sutera dan akhirnya dia menjadi seorang usahawan kain yang berjaya. Athirah kerap membeli emas dari hasil jualannya untuk di simpan sebagai tabungan.

Pada suatu masa, Indonesia mengalami kegawatan ekonomi yang sangat teruk. Nilai mata wangnya jatuh merudum. Perniagaan Puang Ajji merosot dan akhirnya beliau tidak mampu membayar gaji pekerjanya.

Di akhir cerita, Puang Ajji kembali ke rumah dan Athirah menyerahkan kesemua barang kemas, hasil titik peluhnya kepada Puang Ajji. Melihat kesetiaan Athirah, dia tertunduk malu dan menangis.

Mesej yang dibawakan filem ini begitu jelas menggambarkan pengorbanan seorang isteri yang setia dan taat pada suaminya. Ia juga memberikan suatu gambaran bahawa poligami sedikit sebanyak mampu memberikan kesan kepada institusi kekeluargaan kerana tentangan adat dan budaya.

Filem ini telah berjaya meraih 6 Piala Citra di Festival Film Indonesia 2016. Filem ini juga telah dipilih dan ditayangkan di beberapa festival filem antarabangsa seperti Kanada, Korea dan Jepun.

The Iron Man of India

By

Picture 1 : India Times

India has unveiled its mega statue of Sardar Patel – The tallest statue in the world as the symbol of its independence movement. The statue located at about 3.5 km downstream the Sardar Sarovar Dam near Rajpipla, 100 km southeast of the city Vadodara. The ceremony held in Wednesday, in conjuction with the 143rd anniversary of Patel’s birth was attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the mastermind behind the creation of the masterpiece.

About the project

The construction began on December 19, 2015 and took about 34 months to complete. The project leader, Padma Bhushan Ram V.Suthar is a 93-year-old acclaimed sculptor who graduated from the prestigious J.J School of Art in Bombay. He had been involved in numerous sculpting project such as Mother Chambal at Gandhi Sagar Dam, equestrian statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Amritsar and few statues of Mahatma Gandhi.

The statue is divided into five zones – Up to its shin is the first zone, comprising three levels, including an exhibit floor, mezzanine and roof. This zone will contain a Memorial Garden and a large museum. Zone 2 extends up to the statue’s thighs at 149 meters, while Zone 3 goes up to the viewing gallery at 153 meters. Zone 4 comprises the maintenance area and Zone 5 the head and shoulders.

Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi stated that the statue will stand high not just in meters and feet, but much more in terms of academic, historical, national and spiritual values

Who is Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel?

Vallabhbhai Patel popularly known as Sardar Patel or “iron man” of India was born on 31 October 1875 in Gujarat, India. He was an Indian barrister and statesman, the founding father of the Republic of India as he united all diverse 562 princely states to build one great Republic of India after its independence in 1947.

He also presented the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) in the constituent assembly. He served as the 1st Commander-in-chief of the Indian Forces, Minister of Home Affairs and as the first Deputy Prime Minister of India.

All you need to know about the statue

 

 

 

Picture 2: Statue of Unity

  • The Statue of Unity is currently the tallest statue in the world with the height of 182 meters, nearly twice the height New York’s Statue of Liberty
  • Materials consumed: 70,000 tonnes of cement, 18,500 tonnes of reinforcement steel, 6,000 tonnes of structural steel and 1,700 metric tonnes of bronze, which was used for the outer cladding of the structure, according to a government statement.
  • Engineered to withstand wind speeds of up to 50 m per second (almost 180 km per hour wind speed)
  • The viewing gallery at the height of 135 meters can accommodate up to 200 people at a time with the charge of 350 Rupee (USD$5) per person.
  • The total cost of the project is 2,989 crore (US$420 million).

 India’s new tourism spot

According to the official site, this statue will not just be a mute memorial but a fully functional tourism spot. Apart from the mega statue, tourists can visit the Valley of Flower, Museum & Audio Visual Gallery, and the research center. The statue will be expected to attract 10,000 tourists daily.

 

Menjelang Bajet 2019

By

*The following article is based on the reported news by BH online

SETIAP kali pembentangan bajet negara, seramai 1.6 juta penjawat awam pastinya tidak sabar menunggu pengumuman bonus, manakala rakyat berpendapatan rendah dan sederhana pula mengharapkan pengumuman bantuan kewangan dan pelbagai subsidi.

Tidak terkecuali Bajet 2019 yang akan dibentangkan Jumaat ini, ditunggu-tunggu pelbagai lapisan masyarakat untuk mengetahui goodies atau oleh-oleh yang memanfaatkan mereka.

Bajet berkenaan juga yang terakhir sebelum negara melangkah ke 2020 bagi merealisasikan Wawasan 2020 untuk menjadi negara maju mengikut acuan sendiri yang diilhamkan Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad pada 1991.

Bagaimanapun, kalangan penganalisis ekonomi yakin tidak banyak goodies yang diperoleh rakyat berikutan keadaan ekonomi negara yang tidak mengizinkan ketika ini.

Ada dalam kalangan penganalisis ekonomi menjangkakan tiada pengumuman mengenai bonus kepada penjawat awam, begitu juga kenaikan gaji dan elaun.

Jangkaan subsidi minyak dikurang

Bantuan Sara Hidup Rakyat (BSH) yang menggantikan Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) yang memanfatkan 4.1 juta penerima juga dijangka ditukar daripada pemberian wang tunai kepada barangan makanan.

Pakar ekonomi, Prof Dr Barjoyai Bardai menjangkakan subsidi minyak juga akan dikurangkan untuk meningkatkan pendapatan negara demi manfaat rakyat.

Perbelanjaan untuk sektor pertahanan dijangka dikurangkan, manakala tumpuan perbelanjaan kekal terarah kepada pendidikan dan kesihatan.

Walaupun sektor pendidikan terus diberi tumpuan, jumlah pinjaman menerusi Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN) mungkin dikurangkan.

Dianggap ‘belanjawan zaman susah’

Bajet 2019 boleh dianggap ‘belanjawan zaman susah’ berikutan bebanan hutang negara ditinggalkan Barisan Nasional (BN), selain jangkaan berlaku kegawatan ekonomi negara.

Sebagai belanjawan pertama kerajaan Pakatan Harapan (PH) selepas mengambil alih tampuk pemerintahan negara, sudah tentu kerajaan akan melakukan sesuatu yang akan dikenang oleh rakyat, aspirasi itu pastinya akan diambil kira oleh kerajaan.

“Namun, saya menjangka belanjawan untuk Pendidikan Teknikal dan Latihan Vokasional (TVET) akan meningkat kerana kerajaan memerlukan tenaga kerja berkemahiran tinggi serta memperkenalkan pembelajaran kemahiran baharu bagi mendepani cabaran Revolusi Perindustrian 4.0,” katanya ditemui, baru-baru ini.

Langkah menangani isu kos sara hidup kumpulan berpendapatan isi rumah 40 peratus terendah (B40) dan kumpulan berpendapatan isi rumah 40 peratus sederhana (M40) sewajarnya diberi tumpuan dalam Bajet 2019.

Bagi golongan tidak memiliki rumah sendiri sudah tentu mereka mahukan kediaman selesa untuk keluarga dan mengharapkan ada subsidi dan inisiatif diperkenalkan kerajaan.

Mereka sudah tentu mahu inisiatif yang akan diperkenalkan oleh kerajaan menerusi penggabungan semua agensi yang berkaitan perumahan negara menerusi Majlis Perumahan Mampu Milik Negara (MPMMN) memberi manfaat dan penyelesaian kepada masalah ketidakmampuan memiliki kediaman sendiri.

Rumah mampu milik isu yang berpanjangan yang bagaikan tiada penyelesaian sehingga ada menganggap rumah yang ingin dimiliki sebenarnya hanya ‘rumah mampu tengok’ bukan mampu dimiliki.

Penubuhan MPMMN diumumkan oleh Dr Mahathir ketika membentangkan Kajian Separuh Penggal Rancangan Malaysia Ke-11 (RMKe-11) bagi menyelaras pengurusan perumahan mampu milik awam.

Harga makanan

Menurut Kumpulan Bank Dunia, kenaikan harga makanan dan rumah serta pertumbuhan upah yang tidak menentu di Malaysia dijangka meningkatkan kos sara hidup kumpulan berpendapatan rendah secara lebih cepat dan beberapa kali ganda, berbanding golongan berpendapatan pertengahan dan tinggi.

Ketua Pakar Ekonomi dalam Makroekonomi, Perdagangan dan Pelaburan, Richard Record berkata, agensi itu menjelaskan jumlah yang tinggi daripada pendapatan isi rumah yang dibelanjakan golongan berpendapatan rendah ke atas makanan dan perumahan melonjakkan inflasi kumpulan itu melebihi kadar purata.

Sebab itulah Bajet 2019 perlu mengambil kira kepentingan golongan berkenaan, apatah lagi mereka golongan yang memberi sokongan padu kepada PH sehingga membentuk kerajaan dalam Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-14 (PRU-14), 9 Mei lalu.

Portal hartanah, PropertyGuru Malaysia (PropertyGuru) pula mengesyorkan kerajaan membenarkan pembukaan tanah rizab untuk pembangunan perumahan mampu milik pada pembentangan Bajet 2019. Langkah itu menurutnya dilihat mampu membantu meningkatkan pemilikan kediaman dalam kalangan rakyat tempatan.

Bantuan Pelajar Pendidikan Tinggi atau Baucar Buku 1Malaysia juga dinanti-nantikan pelajar, sama ada dasar itu diteruskan atau sebaliknya, hanya diketahui Jumaat ini.

Bantuan sebanyak RM300 setiap pelajar yang didebitkan menerusi Kad Diskaun Siswa 1Malaysia (KADS1M) memanfaatkan 1.2 juta pelajar pra-universiti, institusi pengajian tinggi (IPT) dan matrikulasi tahun ini.

Sabah dan Sarawak

Kerajaan sepatutnya meneruskan bantuan ini kerana ia memberi manfaat kepada pelajar dan jika jumlah penerima dikurangkan, ia seharusnya menumpukan kepada mahasiswa daripada keluarga berpendapatan rendah.

Penduduk Sabah dan Sarawak juga sudah tentu mahu menerima manfaat daripada belanjawan berkenaan dengan kurang-kurangnya 30 peratus daripada peruntukan pembangunan keseluruhan dalam Bajet 2019 disalurkan kepada dua negeri terbabit.

Pengerusi Pakatan Harapan Sarawak, Chong Chieng Jen mahu jumlah peratusan itu setimpal dengan keperluan pembangunan di kedua-dua wilayah, khususnya di kawasan pedalaman dan luar bandar yang serba kekurangan.

Berdasarkan belanjawan terdahulu yang dilaksanakan kerajaan BN ketika itu, Sabah dan Sarawak hanya memperoleh 10 hingga 13 peratus peruntukan pembangunan dalam bajet Kerajaan Persekutuan.

Dalam bajet kali ini, sudah tentu kedua-dua negeri ini mahu peruntukan lebih adil bagi memperkasakan pembangunan bersesuaian dengan saiz kedua-duanya sebagai wilayah terbesar di Malaysia.

Credit : Mohd Azrone Sarabatin