Sabah News Flash

Saltwater Fish Food Formula Developed

An aquaculturist at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has developed a balanced fish food for saltwater fish.  Dr. Rossita Shapawi, Director of the Borneo Marine Research Institute, had made two marine fish food formulas – Garoupa-1 and Garoupa-2 – from sustainable and less costly ingredients.  She embarked on this research a few years ago, driven by the gradual depletion of sources of seafood.  Since fish usually consume protein, she focused her efforts on looking at alternative sources such as by-products from poultry.

Her outputs were bought by Adabi Consumer Industries which is expected to mass-produce the product through its subsidiary company, Powerpets Sdn Bhd.  This is not the first time for the company having previously acquired the Satay gravy recipe from UMS.  Furthermore, Dr Rossita was also encouraged by the company to develop another fish food formula, this time for fresh water fish.

The fish food formula was bought for RM30,000.  Proceeds will be divided between Dr Rossita and UMS on a 70-30 ratio.  UMS Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Harun Abdullah said that commercialization of research outputs by the university will be expected in the future.  This is one source of income for the educational institutions in preparation of budget cuts in the 2017 budget for Higher Education Ministry.

KK Archdiocese Closes Year of Mercy

The Year of Mercy (YOM) closed at the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu last Sunday at the Sacred Heart Cathedral.  Archbishop John Wong and over 30 priests led the procession in entering the Holy Door for the last time, which took almost two hours for all the faithful who were present to enter.

In his message during the homily, Archbishop Wong said that although the Year of Mercy has come to a close, which coincided with the celebration of the solemnity of Christ the King, the mercy of God never closes.  It is ready to receive anybody needing His mercy and compassion.

KK Archdiocese Receives Official Crest

The official crest of the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu was released Monday, November 21. The Archdiocesan Crest will be used during activities and in printed materials that is archdiocesan-sanctioned.

The crest has three items – the Greek Chi and Rho Christogram in red (for courage) signifying Christ , the outline of Mount Kinabalu in blue (for calm and peace) symbolizing the Local Church and an ark/boat in brown (for simplicity and humility) representing the Archdiocesan community with the archbishop, priests, religious and laity.

Guidelines have been formulated in the use of the official crest to preserve the quality and integrity of the graphic image, and to identify the occasions that allows its use.  For those who want a copy of the crest or needs more information regarding this, they are encouraged to email the Archdiocesan Secretariat (diosec@gmail.com).

Allocation of RM31.4 Million for Schools and Non-Islamic Bodies

Almost RM31.4 million were allocated by the Sabah government to schools and non-Islamic religious bodies.  This was announced by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman during the hand-over rites of the financial aid Monday.  This annual allocation had been given since 2004 which were properly utilized by its intended beneficiaries.

He further added that the allocations are reflective of how the government values education and religious freedom.