KK & Sabah News-Flash

Lessons on Evils of Corruption Advantageous

Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) senior vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said that lessons on the negative effects of corruption will be advantageous for students.  Early on, they will be exposed to corruption offenses and it would be a good option to include subjects regarding this matter in the curriculum.  This would be an indication of support to the fight against corruption by educational institutions and it can also be considered as part of values education.

There have been researches conducted on students related to their understanding of and attitudes towards corruption that indicate the need to develop a culture of honesty and trust in all levels of society, most especially during the early stages of education.  A study of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on 1,000 varsity students revealed that nearly 20% will accept a bribe if no penalties are involved.  A survey of the Integrity Institute of Malaysia on Students’ Perception of Corruption revealed that almost 35% of local university students thought that receiving gifts (in any form) in exchange for services rendered is not corruption.

Lee said that MACC has started to encourage university students not to accept all forms of bribery.   He also added that the complacency of society on reports about corruption will not only affect the economy and the society but more unfortunate is the moral foundation of the citizens.

More Teams Participate in Robotics Event

RoboNeo, the premier community robotics event in Sabah, has a total of 101 participating teams for this year’s event.  Resource Development and Information Technology Minister Datuk Siringan Gubat observed that the number of participants is increasing since the event started in 2014, with only 11 teams in its initial competition.  This year has more development than the other years and innovations have become more and more challenging.  A new innovation this year is the robot combat.

The Technical Services Division IT head of the Sabah Resource Development and Information Technology Ministry Disney Edward Lai said that this year’s event is open to all who are interested.  Participants are not only students but also individuals and those from public institutes of higher learning.  This year, there are five categories – Rbn-Sumoauto, Rbn-Auto, Rbn-Rero, Rbn-Combat and Rbn-Iot.  However, he also emphasized that the also includes the display of knowledge and skills of the participants in developing the automation.

A three-day event, RoboNeo started Friday at the Suria Sabah Mall in Kota Kinabalu.  Closing and awarding ceremonies are scheduled to take place on Sunday.

Issues on the Malaysia Agreement of 1963

Zainnal Ajamain, a political activist and a writer of books on the Malaysia Agreement of 1963 (MA63), said that he agrees with K S Jomo on the latter’s recent criticism of peninsula-based politicians for not knowing the needs of East Malaysians.  He however added that the academe should also be blamed for not teaching the correct history of Malaysia in schools and tertiary institutions.  Current teachings in history do not take into consideration the contributions of Sabah and Sarawak.  He also said that there has been a breach in MA63 for more than fifty years already.

On the other hand, a public forum on MA63 was conducted Sunday at SM Kian Kok school hall and was attended by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulla saying that everybody should get the correct facts, that is, look at historical documents and records, and not just read on social media.