Sabah News Flash

Seven Schools from Sabah Participate in Petronas Competition

The 3^rd Petronas All About Youth (AAY) Competition recently started with the return of 30 schools from previous competitions, seven of which came from Sabah.  For this reason, this year’s competition was considered as an “all-star” edition with the aim of ensuring the sustainability of past projects, Petronas Senior General Manager, Group Strategic Communications, Zahariah (Liza) Abdul Rahman said.  A grant of RM1,000 each were already given to the schools for their project enhancement.

The selected schools from Sabah that are participating in the competition have varied projects with environmental and social impacts.  The school’s team is composed of 20 students who will undergo a refresher course and will be accompanied by a volunteer who will provide guidance and support.  They are given four weeks to complete their projects.

Winning school will be announced at the grand finale in Kuala Lumpur and will be given a cash prize of RM50,000 and its participating students will receive RM1,000 each.  Second and third placers will also receive cash prizes of different amounts.

Businessmen Getting Concerned on Sepanggar Port Delays

The Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KKCCCI) are already expressing their concern regarding the congestion at the Sepanggar Port.  Lewis Fong, a member of the KKCCCI, said that there were times that their cargo were unloaded in another port so that the ship can go back to Port Klang to pick up another load.  This procedure of loading and unloading of cargo is added expenses for the businessmen and shipping companies.  As such, the consumers will eventually carry the burden of these additional costs.

This was also the sentiment of another KKCCCI member, Koh Chung Jade, saying that for short delays, importers would usually absorb the additional expenses.  But for the present situation where delays would be even up to ten days, again, the consumers will carry the costs.

Cargos also include food products with a 30-day shelf-life and by the time these reach the market, they are set to expire in ten days.  Definitely, the consumers will not buy these products so, again, wastage and additional costs on the part of the suppliers.

KKCCCI president Datuk Michael Lui is offering the assistance of its members in solving the problem.  They are hoping that the port authorities will set a dialougue with stakeholders to discuss possible ways to find solutions on the problem at hand.