3rd Note

As I was reading a pullout from a newspaper today, I noticed that half of it was filled with advertisements and the other half, with reviews on IT products and services. I browsed through the latest prices for laptops, computer parts and all the snippets on the latest technologies offered by international and local service providers. How time flies, I said to myself with all these hard-to-keep-up-with technologies that keep on emerging every single day. This hip scenario is a far cry from what we used to experience in the mid-90s. At that time, the word “computer” itself can imply the financial status of a family because of the price tag. Well, fast forward to 2010, now the computer has become affordable and is a must-have for a household. Almost every single home owns at least one personal computer or a laptop nowadays. The information technology sector has grown tremendously and has molded our State into a very competitive ICT (Information & Communication Technology) player in the country. International microchips producers and computer memory manufacturers had long supplied us with job opportunities by setting up their factories here and directly boosted our economic growth. Internet services are also getting affordable and have opened up endless boundaries for young entrepreneurs to use web services as their marketing tools. We know about iPad, Blackberry and all those high tech gadgets because the media feed us with the latest updates almost every single day. But still, the reporting on our local ICT development in media is still under par if compared with those in neighboring countries. What we can see, hear and read today are only coverage on ICT events or extracts from speeches, gadgets promotions and also reviews of ICT happenings from international papers. Benefits and challenges of utilizing ICT that are faced by the community, especially those in rural areas – these are the things that should be highlighted as well, on a regular basis. It would be most interesting to know, how ICT influences or impacts the people’s lives today. We would like to know, are our Tuai Rumah using spreadsheets to record any death or birth in their longhouses? If not, how can we help to change that, so they will have a proper profile of their villagers? And what is the progress of the RIGHT programme participants started by SAINS a few years back? Did they succeed in helping their own circle of community? Or how do we know if our local kek lapis entrepreneur from Petra Jaya or handicraft craftsman from Bau is maximizing the ability of the Internet to market their products? If they are, perhaps sharing their experiences would serve as an eye-opener or inspiration to others. The mass media would play a most useful role here. Success stories are not the only ones that should be shared. We also need to address the challenges faced by those who are still being left out in terms of enjoying the fruits of ICT development in the state. There should be a measuring tool or some kind of benchmark for people to know how much we have achieved in ICT and the local media could become that medium to provide the rakyat the much needed information. By this age, ICT should not be regarded as an intimidating subject for media practitioners with all the jargons and difficult translations. It should be a daily subject, a norm, as how we anticipate politics and entertainment news in our media. The reporting on ICT should be able to make readers excited to know about ICT updates just like the excitement created when the England soccer team qualified for the 2010 World Cup. ICT news should be the catalyst to move our society to be more knowledgeable and to steer them on the right track to a K-economy based society. This year, SAINS and AZAM, together with UNIMAS are setting up a “virtual” network to link the media practitioners, focusing on those who are interested in covering ICT development and its impact on our communities in Sarawak. This network formation will provide them with the necessary up-to-date information and related activities for them to help enhance the current reporting trend on ICT development in our local media. With this network, we hope that more news on ICT development around the State will be highlighted in our media. Maybe by doing this, not only our society will have a much better understanding on ICT, but hopefully it can elevate their skills and further use those skills to make a better living. Mark Nyambang is a communication officer with Angkatan Zaman Mansang Sarawak (Azam).The 3rd Voice, initiated by Azam and the Sarawak Development Institute (SDI) is published fortnightly. Feedback can be channelled to deborah@azam.org.my or add the Azam Facebook group link.

LET’S sit and imagine this – you have just graduated and you’re in job-hunting mode. You applied for a job and then there you got it! But wait, you have no idea how your workplace is going to be and what awaits you.Suddenly you are lost and become clueless in a sea of work, your employer’s expectations, your colleagues’ expectations and your own as well.

The initial expectations were perhaps just a matter of getting experience. However, most graduates would be rather clueless on how competitive things are out there.

What most fresh graduates may be unaware of is that the workplace is beyond a certain job scope and the physical setting itself.

What they fail to know and realise in the first place are the hard facts on how to manage their time and their tasks, how to manage their employers and superiors, how to apply their skills accordingly, how to solve problems which are beyond their control and how to think out of the box.

Currently, most courses offered in our local colleges and varsities provide industrial training and internship stints with companies and organisations, but how effective are such trainings in developing our undergraduates towards real life demands?

How much have undergraduates who have gone through internships adopted from their training period? It seems that many graduates have failed to perform as expected and some are still unemployed.

What could have brought us to this scenario?

Looking at current trends, there are some agencies, companies or employers which have offered internship placements for undergraduates seemingly for nothing.

The interns or trainees were assigned to do clerical or mundane tasks such as serving coffee, photocopying papers, data entry, when they could have been assigned tasks relevant to their respective field or discipline.

Consequently, on whom shall we put the blame — the employers or the current graduates themselves? Has our own society lost faith in our own ‘products’? Or has our society lost the capability of producing quality graduates? Could it be that everyone is at fault?

All our lives, we have been delivering based on standards and expectations set by our parents, our teachers, the institutions and society at large.

Living up to others’ expectations is normal and we tend to set expectations ourselves as well. When graduates are out there, they are expected to blend in — to adjust to the working environment. In the working world, graduates need to be more discerning and analytical to meet society’s high expectations. Therefore, ensuring that one is equipped and driven to face whatever challenges may come, should be instilled constantly. For a start, having soft and hard skills would come in pretty handy because most employers today are looking for versatile individuals and good thinkers who ‘may likely think unalike’.

For graduates, remaining unemployed could be one of the lowest points of life. They may feel they do not have what it takes to fit in the working world. This should not be the only concern. What needs to be emphasised more is ensuring that graduates set a high standard for themselves. This is to ensure that they are sufficiently prepared mentally and emotionally for the real world — the working world, that is.

In the mean time, graduates should just keep on absorbing whatever they can, keep on learning whenever they can.

Perhaps it is not about the system or society. It could just be about graduates continuing to grow and not to be ignorant about what happens around them.

There is not much time to linger on the same spot. Having said all this, as much as graduates should learn how to adjust and adapt to expectations quickly, society at large should also have some faith in them as well.

Deborah Sian is a communication officer with the Communication and Knowledge Management Unit of Azam. The 3rd Voice, initiated by Azam and SDI is published fortnightly. Feedback can be channelled to deborah@azam.org.my or add the Azam Facebook group link.

THE United Nations Children’s Fund or Unicef champions the protection of children’s rights by drawing on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Its paramount challenge is to continue on the achieved progress in which they strengthen their outreach to children who are still being denied their rights to survival, development, education, gender equality protection and participation.Although the Convention has been in existence for more than 20 years, Unicef reported that children’s welfare is far from assured. Worldwide, millions of children are further deprived of food, shelter as well as clean water and are prone to be affected by diseases such as pneumonia, malaria and measles. They also lack protection against violence, abuse, exploitation, discrimination and neglect. Despite the fact that fewer children are dying and more are entering schools, I am sure the staggering number does not sit well with most of us.

We don’t have to look far and beyond to realise our children are under-protected. Take for example, what is happening in our own backyard of late. Children have been making headlines in newspapers and on televisions. A local newspaper highlighted the poverty-stricken family of 11-year-old Angela. The innocent-looking image of this cherub got me thinking constantly about her unfortunate life. Then there was news about a dead baby found floating at Stutong community market as well as little K Hareswarra and Syafiah Humairah Sahari who both died due to injuries allegedly caused by abusive caretakers. These heart-wrenching stories made me all misty-eyed and emotional.

And who could forget the recent attack that took place in Muar, where kindergarten children were mercilessly and physically assaulted by a man suspected to be of unsound mind? Not so long ago, the country was rudely awakened by the news of missing Sharlinie Mohd Nashar and Nurin Jazlin Jazimin. The former has been missing since 2007. What has become of our society? Why, despite urbanisation and progress taking place all over this world, are children still underprivileged and not safe from these predators that make us sick to the stomach?

Each and every one of us can play our roles to make a difference in the lives of our children. Here in our state, different measures are being taken to ensure the well-being of our children.

the 10th Malaysia Plan, our state will embark on -zero squatter- target where existing squatters will be moved into decent housing areas. Affordable homes will be built not only for the hardcore poor but also for low and medium income earners. This is one of the steps taken to shelter our destitute and disadvantaged children. Providing comfortable living conditions would hopefully encourage the healthy growth of these children.

education is concerned, a meeting held by the Sarawak Women and Family Council (SWFC) early this year discussed giving focus to Early Childhood Education (ECE) to ensure every child is given equal access to ECE in our state.

move is seen as crucial as ECE plays a key role in contributing to the success of the individual, building excellent youth and future leaders of tomorrow. At a dialogue with Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and our youth last month, Taib spoke on the importance of compulsory preschool education. Amidst a lot of inequality in our society, he hopes to achieve an equitable policy that would reach every corner of our society.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin echoed the same sentiment. In the ‘State of the World’s Children Special Edition’s report, he said education is no longer a distant dream in Malaysia but a promise we have made to every child. March 7 saw the celebration of the International Children’s Day of Broadcasting, where children were given the opportunity to utilise the media to express their views on a myriad of issues. Long viewed as having the power to affect change, the mass media is in a prime position to shape attitudes towards children’s rights. The aforementioned convention itself encourages the media to disseminate proper information that is of social and cultural benefit to children.

know of people who would prefer to take care of animals instead of children. I guess, to each his own. But envisage how silent the world would be without their honest laughter, smiles and giggles. I can’t. I would rather have the disability to imagine.

Gider is an assistant manager, Conference Division of Sarawak Development Institute (SDI). 3rd Voice is published fortnightly and was initiated by Angkatan Zaman Mansang (Azam) and SDI. Feedback can be sent to deborah@azam.org.my or add the Azam Facebook link.

While it is frightening that the crime rate in Sarawak has increased over the years, it is heartening to know that the State Government and relevant authorities (especially the Police) are looking into ways to fight crime and reduce its rate. The path to success is not straight and unending. We are dealing with the “underworld”, with people who are either pushed to crime by forces beyond their control – forces from within and from without – or people whose consciences are so hardened that they no longer make any distinction between moral good and moral evil, or people who are simply thrilled by war with enforcement authorities. And even as authorities have broken some syndicates and think they have worked out good strategies to score greater victory, the “underworld” is also working hard to fight back – and to come up with better strategies and tactics.

On these grounds, we cannot take things for granted and we should embark on a broader strategy that takes into account certain important realities.

Importance of Integrity – Very basic attitudes authorities must adopt are honesty, courage and strong will. Honesty must be shown in the catching and handling of criminals – regardless of their race, status and position. Bringing these criminals to the court of law of the country without fear or favour is vital to the fight against crime. Resisting the temptation to accept bribe offered to have crime covered up is part of the honesty that must be shown. Obviously, courage and the will to pursue every case till it is solved must also prevail. Such attitudes will lend credibility to the powers-that-be and this will in its own way contribute to the reduction of crime.

Equal Opportunities For All – In all honesty, we must admit that there is a strong perception that citizens are treated and given opportunities differently – depending on race, religion, family, economic and social class, etc. There is a very big gap between the rich minority and the great majority who are of the lower income group. It is not that all those of the latter group are not hard working. The impression is that some are not given the same opportunities as their fellow Sarawakians who have made it in life. It is not surprising that some of the very poor yield to the temptation to get rich through illegal or even immoral ways. Perhaps, not having access to opportunities in many cases is due to lack of qualification – and generally it is educational qualification. As such there is a need to address this gap.

The Importance of Religion and Spiritual Life – It is encouraging to see progress in our country and State. Progress seems to focus solely in economic and technological fields. But progress, to be holistic must also be achieved in the religious and spiritual dimension of man’s life. Crime rate will be substantially reduced if people are God-fearing. Students must be taught their religions from young. Young people who grow up not having a deep faith in and strong relationship with God become easy prey to promiscuity, drug addiction, gambling and undesirable behavior. Also, many are so drawn towards money – that money is no longer their servant but god. And when money becomes god, the consequences are horrific. A crime-free society has for its prerequisite deep belief in and commitment to God.

Globalisation – Information technology has made the whole world a global village. This has brought great advantages to the entire humanity. But there are also damages. The undesirable values young children are drowned with – some of which are even sub-cultural if not totally anti-cultural – are shocking. They have distorted if not perverted some citizens and led them to crime. There is no way that the authorities will be able to control or prevent the impact of globalization on citizens. Mounting police vigilance is impossible. One indispensable alternative to vigilance is to build up the religious sense and moral conscience of citizens.

The Family – Efforts must be expended in order to build up good healthy families. Children of broken homes are vulnerable to crime. It is good to see the Government trying to foster family health through the five-day working week – allowing the weekends for family activities. But even this positive step will not be effective unless parents spend time with their children. Good families will form good citizens – again, another way to reduce crime rate.

National Service – While the intention is good, implementing it for students who have just finished their SPM may be a little late in the day. It could still be of value – but should come in as the “crown” of the entire character formation and patriotism programme implemented already from Primary 1 onwards. Some Churches have school holiday camps for their followers. Unfortunately, not many children attend them. The Government could work with various religious groups in the State to get such programme going.

Archbishop John Ha is Archbishop of Kuching, Archdiocese of Kuching. The 3rd Voice, initiated by AZAM and SDI is published fortnightly. Feedback can be channelled to deborah@azam.org.my or (please add AZAM Facebook group link http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=94051436143)

I was fortunate to be able to accompany a good friend of mine to an innovation competition held in one of the local universities recently in Selangor. In that competition, she won the Gold Medal in the Innovation Category. Out of some 400 participants, there were also some others who won the diamond, gold, silver and bronze medals as well. She received some extraordinary reviews on her innovative product from the judges, who were from the industry itself. One of the judges said that she was puzzled on how Sarawakians could be so innovative and was able to send a big team every year to this competition compared with other university branches.

This year is the Year of Innovation & Creativity or Malaysia Innovative 2010 (MI2010), as mentioned by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation earlier this year. In his speech during the launching, the Prime Minister emphasized that the right eco-system, where the family and education system, private and public sectors and the grassroots work as one,  must be created to allow ideas and creativity to grow.

It is not fair to compare our country, what more to say to compare our state’s innovation development and progress to that of Silicon Valley. But at the same time, we just cannot be by-standers, watching other countries enjoying the wealth from the innovations sector. Facilities; such as our daily Facebook, updating software like Twitter, the ever popular search engine Google and the much awaited iPad by Apple are some of the successful examples of innovative products.

Where are we on the innovation map? How much have we done to promote local innovations? Do we have enough platforms to showcase our products? I feel that we are still way behind in terms of promoting innovations in our own country. Besides universities and schools, it is difficult to find innovation competitions carried out to challenge the youth to think creatively. There are not many public platforms for our youth to really share their ideas. Yes, we do have a lot of those ICT exhibitions and PC fairs. But those are either exhibitions by the industry players, or profit based ICT fairs.

Innovation programmes should not be restricted to only those in universities and schools. Most of my friends said, that there should be open yet secure platforms for the public to showcase their talents. Proper ones even should have an “industry matching” sessions between industry players and innovators. Just imagine these scenarios; an ordinary mechanic may create an innovative smokeless exhaust system and a farmer who discovers methods or techniques to produce odorless durian. Where do they go to? Where can they sell these innovations? It would be such a waste not to see these innovations in the market.

With the emerging low cost technologies, free software and higher speed of broadband provided by the service providers in the country, I say it’s about time for all, including the local community, service providers, government agencies and the corporate sector to really get involved in research and development efforts, not only in universities, but encourage home based R & D, in your own home garage or even your own room. Family members especially parents should give their full support not only by giving financial support but also by motivating their children to think outside the box over certain problems.

In my 3 years as a multimedia lecturer in a local college, sometimes back, I could detect some hidden talents and some great ideas in our younger generation and they showed signs of creativity in problem-solving. Some of their final projects were really marketable at that time. Why can’t we have our own version of Bill Gates from Saratok? Or create our own social network software such as Sarawak Facebook by a 16 year old programmer from Miri?

I have a strong feeling that the next big thing in innovation will come from our state. It might sound as a big personal dream, but why not just give ourselves a try in inventing things? It is never a sin to dream big, but it sure is a blessing to share wealth through your innovation.

Mark Nyambang is a Communication Officer, with Angkatan Zaman Mansang Sarawak (AZAM).The 3rd Voice, initiated by AZAM and SDI is published fortnightly. Feedback can be channelled to deborah@azam.org.my or (please add AZAM Facebook group link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=94051436143)

By Maria Corazon M. Cortez

Two weeks ago, this column published an article called A Cry for Attention” highlighting among other things, the challenges faced by today’s youth in getting their voices heard. The article mentioned a youth programme called YES – “Youth engaged and empowered to serve”, initiated by AZAM Sarawak as a way to provide an avenue for local youths to explore their positive attributes towards achieving their life’s goals.

I can say that this is indeed one of the most worthwhile programmes that I have ever been involved in. And I’m not just saying this because I was part of the team that conceptualized the programme, and am also now very much involved in its implementation.

I find the YES programme worthwhile and meaningful not because of what we –the organizers and the project managers –are bringing into it but because of what our pioneering batch of participants have shown us recently at the first YOUTH CAMP for the YES Programme held in Lundu from 11-13 December 2009.  The camp revolved around the theme, “YES I SEE”, or “Youths engaged in SOCIAL innovation, service, education and enterprise”.

When those of us from AZAM, SDI and Faradale Media-M Sdn Bhd first sat down to conceptualize the YES programme, we agreed that we must have something that will meet the following:

1. That it will give our youths a “voice”, a platform where they can speak up freely about their aspirations, their ideas, and their concerns.
2. That it will explain what is meant by “1Malaysia” and why Sarawak is acknowledged as a model of this concept.
3. That it will focus on demonstrating the 8 core values of 1Malaysia, which are:
   1. High performance culture
   2. Accuracy
   3. Knowledge
   4. Innovation
   5. Integrity
   6. Strong will
   7. Loyalty
   8. Wisdom

1. That it will be a group- driven, action-oriented programme, founded on our conviction that no matter how young the participants are, they are capable of implementing an idea that they truly believe would benefit our society. And that what they need to do so would be the dedicated and nurturing guidance from adults who believe in them and the cooperation and encouragement from their peers.

The participants comprise youths aged 17-25 who were shortlisted through an interview and assessment session where they were asked NOT about their grades in school, or their ethnic backgrounds or what their religions were. The main thing they were guided to do was to express their thoughts on what they are proud of as a Sarawakian, in particular and as a Malaysian, in general. Some were not able to clearly articulate their ideas as yet, but what we were looking for were seeds of ideas that showed that they do think about their country and state with pride, and that they do have the desire to contribute to our common good, given the chance.

The participants took part in the 3-day youth camp, where a noted trainer was able to guide them through the process of identifying their skills and their passions, imparting them with new skills and knowledge that they can apply to make their dreams and aspirations a reality.

It was hoped that the participants would be able to come up with ideas that focus on 4 areas : culture, environment, social enterprise, and integrity/governance. And my, how we were overwhelmed with the wealth of inspiring ideas that came from such young minds.

With what this pioneering batch of youths who joined our YES programme have shown us, we are now even more inspired and motivated to reach out to as many youths as possible here in Sarawak, and perhaps the rest of the country. With the support of the  Government, SABERKAS and other organizations, we believe we can. And we believe that with the example of what our pioneering batch of “youths engaged in SOCIAL innovation, service, education and enterprise” will soon demonstrate, there will be more and more of our youths who will be inspired to do something for the common good.

And that’s what makes the YES programme meaningful and rewarding for all of us. As for the youths who took part in the programme, you can, if you have the opportunity, to ask them yourself how they feel about it since they do have a “voice”. Or better still, let’s wait for them to show what they have gotten out of the programme through the projects that they will soon unveil before us all. After all, actions speak louder than words. We are definitely excited!

Maria Corazon M. Cortez is the Managing Director of Faradale Media-M Sdn. Bhd. (FMM) and, a member of AZAM. ).3^rd Voice is published fortnightly and was initiated by AZAM and SDI. Feedback can be channelled todeborah@azam.org.my or (please add AZAM Facebook group link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=94051436143)

by Sim Ah Hua

A local Yang Berhormat, YB in her Facebook recently lamented on our youth – males and females, getting “high” in broad daylight at the Kuching Waterfront. Her posting received many comments and concerns, some of which mentioned that it is not a recent problem but that it has been happening for some time.  A number queried why the authorities have not done anything, while others replied that the authorities have tried but that the problem seems to persist.

In a State Anti-Narcotics report last Saturday, it was stated that a total of 119 students (mainly urban) in Sarawak have been arrested for involvement in drug abuse up till November this year, compared to only 68 for last year.  The type of drugs abused showed a leaning towards ‘harder’ drugs such as ketamine, Erimin 5, and cannabis.  The police are worried and have appealed to parents to monitor their children’s activities.

In institutions of learning and schools, and through the media, we have many anti-drugs campaigns, posters everywhere – screaming the dangers of drugs, and yet our youth do not seem to hear or see.  What has gone wrong?  Have we failed to understand our youth?  Have our many youth seminars and workshops that came up with strategies to arrest social ills among our youth been a waste of time and money?

What we seem to lack is an in-depth understanding of the myriad issues that ‘force’ or trap our youth into such situations.  There have been researches undertaken but many have just skim the surface of the issues and have not proposed effective solutions and strategies to curb the problems.  Most of our researches have involved respondents other than the youth themselves in trying to identify the roots of the social ills/problems among youth. A qualitative research among youth offenders who have been detained would provide useful information which can help us plan better and more effective programmes.  That information could also provide us links to undertake further research into related issues to give us a holistic and comprehensive perspective of the problems.

Apart from research, another area that is sadly lacking is dialogue with our young people.  We have taken them very much for granted and think we know what is best for them as we have ‘more exposure and are more experienced’.  Their exposure and experience today is so different from ours that there is a great need for us to listen and learn from them as well. Personally, the challenges and pressure that face our youth today that could lead them astray are greater than the ones we face in the 70s and 80s.  Advancement in technology, a borderless world and the demands of an affluent society have brought about so much changes in family life, school life and societal life that strong and positive values which we hold dear are threatened and have broken down.  Our youth have to learn how to cope in the midst of all these challenges.  We need to extend that helping hand.

Government agencies, corporate bodies and NGOs alike have also organised countless programmes for youth, but the youth that end up participating in these programmes are usually the ‘good’ ones that are not so much in need of our attention. It is high time that we re-look our strategies and ensure that our programmes target the right youth and are tailored to bring about the change that we want to see in our young people.  We need to work with community leaders to identify ‘problem’ youth from specific residential areas and plan programmes with the right content that would interest, attract, motivate and empower them to take action to change their lives.

An example of an empowering youth programme is the “YES! Programme” that AZAM has started which aims to empower youth to serve our society through community projects.  Getting youth involved to think for themselves, see opportunities and not obstacles in challenges, to work as a team and to set goals in life, would provide them with a good foundation to face the challenges ahead of them.

Let us then open our doors to the youth through more dialogues. To quote someone, “True dialogue is the one thing that should energise us and lead us to new consensus on what we have to do”.

Sim Ah Hua is General Manager of Sarawak Development Institute (SDI). 3^rd Voice is published fortnightly and was initiated by AZAM and SDI. Feedback can be channelled to deborah@azam.org.my or (please add AZAM Facebook group link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=94051436143)

by Marcella Gider and Rosalind Yang M.

OK. This is a youth talking. If you ain’t got no Facebook account, go live in a cave. With more than 200 million strong followers worldwide and still counting, Facebook has and continue to entice just about any men and women, old or young, working adults or even school children. Currently ranked as the leading social networking site, Facebook is a force to be reckoned with.

What is so compelling about Facebook is its entertaining Features that offers everything under the sun.

Feel the need to proclaim your love to someone today? Status Update is just what you need.

Long to reunite with your high school clique? Then invite them for a spanking good night out through Events.

Want to share some Kodak moments with your distant relatives or long lost friends? Uploading yesteryears or current photos into Photos would be both nostalgic and fun at the same time.

You know those games Applications? I’m not averse to all those. I don’t get the whole brouhaha about people’s fascinations for these Applications.Are you one of those games addicts who are guilty as charged? Squander all your time on harvesting, leveling up or feeding, getting completely engrossed with the adventure that these games have to offer? There’s FarmVille for the failed farmer gone awry.

There’s also Mafia Wars. No, we’re not talking about the first high-profile conflict between Mafia clans in post-war Italy. We’re talking games that offer inspiring Mafia to play Don Vito Corleone at the comfort of their home or workplace. For those with ultra deep motherly instinct, Baby Adopter trains you to become a good mother in the future. We do hope virtual training helps. Apart from the youth, the Facebook community today includes professionals, politicians, celebrities, businesses, and just about any sector of the society.

The plus points are that constituents are getting more connected with their Yang Berhormats, as so are fans with their favourite Idols, students with their teachers and, clients with their service providers. It’s also been amazing to witness old schoolmates who have been out of touch for decades suddenly updating each other on just about any aspect of their lives; cousins who barely had the time of day for each other in real life suddenly have tonnes to say to each other. The possibilities seem endless.

These are all acceptable and within the norms of Facebooking. But what happens when Facebookers, particularly as employees, cross the boundary of work ethics conventions?

Addiction to social networking has never been so pronounced. It is the cutting-edge kind of addiction, if I could put it that way that has caused the enslavement of our society, so much so that for many, everything but Facebook has taken a back seat in their lives. People are spending less quality time with their family and friends; forget how important it is to socialize outside of the virtual world, neglecting outdoor activities and worse still, paying less attention to work.

England’s top Catholic bishop once issued a warning on the downsides of social networking sites. It could lead to the decrease in work productivity, damage relationships between family members and friends. The challenge at the workplace is that we have two personas. One is our personal persona and the other, a work persona. Managing this in online networking is tricky. While some establishments banned “Facebooking” at the workplace, there are those who chose to invest in the positive potentials of the facility for larger and longer term goals of the organization. The issue is whether the staff has the integrity to ensure that the facility is utilized to create added value to the work of the organization. After having taken the position to allow online networking at the workplace, employers cannot entertain the illusion that it will be used for work-related activities 100 percent of the time. While employers need to exercise some flexibility, the onus is on each employee to ensure that the trust given is justified through at least high work productivity.

Ultimately Facebook may follow Friendster, and other early online social networks that have become saturated and stale. Whatever the next new thing may be, the rules of engagement will remain similar and there will always be pitfalls. Although online networks and their influence on the modern society are here to stay, genuine happiness cannot be pursued through such networking alone. I’m sure too much Facebooking can leave one feeling jaded and lethargic. So, be smart in managing your virtual life, and get in touch with reality. Get a life already!

Marcella Gider and Rosalind Yang M. of SDI and AZAM respectively are Assistant Manager, Conference Division of Sarawak Development Institute (SDI) and General Manager, Angkatan Zaman Mansang Sarawak (AZAM) . 3^rd Voice is published fortnightly and was initiated by AZAM and SDI. Feedback can be channeled to deborah@azam.org.my or (please add AZAM Facebook group link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=94051436143)

By Marcella Gider

Race and its meaning can be defined and interpreted in many ways than one. An online dictionary defines race as a local geographic or global human population distinguished as a more or less distinct group by genetically transmitted physical characteristics or in plain English, describes as a group of people who have the same culture, history, language, etc.

But just like any other events that have been happening in our country lately, I suspect the word race has sneakily gone under the knife and had its meaning altered to a level that has caused much confusion and headache.

Say hello to the all new race!

In the wake of the recent controversies that saw the predicament of 18-year old Marina Undau as well as the inaugural Miss Dayak Sarawak pageant 2009 (now renamed Miss Borneo Beautiful 2009), I am inclined to offer my unsolicited opinions on this matter.

Let’s start with the ‘not so privileged’ girl. To say that I was seething with rage upon reading the news is an understatement. If 9As and 1B cannot guarantee you a place in our local university, then I seriously don’t know what will. Maybe being bright alone just does not cut it. Suddenly, being born to an Iban father and a Chinese mother seems so wrong, almost as if Marina’s parents are at fault. Are we now treating those of mixed parentage as second class citizens? Last I checked, race clearly does not and never will determine your education level, regardless of the colour of your skin.

Sources from the Internet claim that definitions of Bumiputera vary depending on its usage. By now we should all know how the Bumiputera of our State are defined by the Malaysian Higher Education Ministry – if both parents are indigenous natives of Sarawak, thus the child is considered as Bumiputera. It’s a totally different ball game for those in the Peninsular and Sabah where the definitions are different as night and day.

Can you concur with me that by having three contrasting and inconsistent interpretations of Bumiputera for the three regions, it defeats the purpose of the 1Malaysia concept? Double standard doesn’t have a place in the concept now, does it? And people wonder why 1Malaysia is not my cup of tea.

At the risk of inciting hatred against me, sometimes I wish the term Bumiputera does not exist. Yes, there are many privileges but many a time, the term is used for exploitation in the broadest sense. With the exception of Marina and many others who are facing the same difficulties, admittedly, you can get away with anything simply for being a Bumiputera. As a result, we become, due to lack of a better word, complacent. If it’s any consolation to Marina, her voice had helped to bring to light the real dilemma and consequently, stern actions are being taken to rectify this problem.

If I may digress for a while, let us zoom in on the issue of the Miss Dayak Sarawak beauty pageant. Have we turned into an overly sensitive society that we take offence in every single race related subject? This whole unwanted controversy is tantamount to being highly allergic to say, nuts or dust. It seems to agitate those infected to the core! Does it make the Dayak community any lower by introducing themselves as Dayak?

The phrase “birds of a feather flock together” in a negative connotation might be the reason why some parties are mad enough to chew nails! With all due respect to those who are “just looking after the interest of young Dayak ladies”, it is my sincere hope that we do not perceive others as having bad intention to tarnish the good name of our Dayak community.

A beauty pageant is what it is – to bring out the best in women by providing the platform for them to showcase their intelligence and skills, broaden their networking opportunities and build up terrific self confidence in one self.

Imagine our world without discrimination – if only we look at race as a tool solely to remind us of our roots, not a prerequisite to gain scholarship, not a cover-up to climb up the corporate ladder, not a pretext to start a business or buying a new house. Race shouldn’t be used as an excuse to segregate and deny people from their opportunities. Go ahead! Be unabashedly Dayak, or Melanau, or Chinese, or Malay, or Indian, for that matter. You have every reason to celebrate the race that personifies you.

Marcella Gider is an Assistant Manager, Conference Division of Sarawak Development Institute (SDI). 3^rd Voice is published fortnightly and was initiated by AZAM and SDI. Feedback can be sent to deborah@azam.org.my

November – I love this time of the year.  It is a time to reflect and stocktake one’s professional and personal life.  Of course it is also a time to plan, anticipate and perhaps visualize the achievement and challenges that lie ahead.

And I admit I am in my most introspective mode right now.  Well, almost.

I attended a roundtable on the benefits and challenges of SCORE recently (organized by AZAM Sarawak) and I must say it really leaves me in one of those reflective moods.  Indeed I was pleasantly surprised with the progress the state is doing in making this mammoth project a reality.  It makes me proud that the ultimate aim of the project is to advance not only the state but more importantly her peoples.  Thence you would ask me “Why the pensive mood”? The people’s part.  And yes, the sustainability part too.  The roundtable put forth these two very pertinent constituents that seem to be missing in the very literature about the project (at least those circulated to the audience).  Personally I believe that the success of this project requires a massive buy-in from us the ordinary citizens.  The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), in its 1997 Report (refer SD Dimensions, FAO)…”The pivotal role of people’s participation in development is now re-emerging in economic and social development thinking…”.  In other words, this is not new.  It has been discussed and deliberated umpteenth time.  Yet this “human face” of development unless I am mistaken, remains on the back burner.

According to the Renewables Global Status Report 2007, an emerging trend in some countries is community-driven renewables development.  For instance in Japan, there are nine community-owned and financed wind farms and in Spain, a citizen-owned solar PV plant (owned by about 750 people) in one of the municipalities, is contributing to a large share of renewables in electricity supply.  At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia in 2007, World Mayors and Local Governments Climate Protection Agreement agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions including renewable energy, toward a goal of reducing worldwide greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent by 2050.

My point is this – engage us as contributing members of the society.  Make us feel that we matter, not as mere bystanders of the project.  Like one of the panelists at the forum said, SCORE should be more citizen-friendly instead of being just corporate-friendly.

Since I am still in my pensive mood – I have another bone to pick, a huge bone actually. The sustainability part.

The roundtable drew attention to the fact that SCORE abides by two significant international standards – the Equator Principles and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  A quick Google search revealed that the Equator Principles refers to a set of global environmental and social standards to manage environmental and social issues in development project finance.  Now, what if, for whatever reasons, I did not attend that roundtable?

And what if I am one of those simple-minded citizens with no access to modern technology?  How in the whole wide world would I understand what this creature Equator Principles is or what the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples stand for?  Besides, why are these global standards compliance not brought to light in the face of unsavoury comments from certain quarters?

Renewables Global Status Report 2009 Update mentioned that the renewable energy industry is indeed big business and despite the global financial crisis, it continues to grow albeit at a slower pace.  The report stated that annual renewable energy investment has increased fourfold to USD120 billion in 2008.  As a matter of fact by April this year, it was reported that 78 countries had signed the statute of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) whose goal is to increase the share of renewable energy worldwide.

The positive and robust promise of the renewable energy industry means that the state has taken a bold and laudable initiative to improve the Quality of Life of her people.  The international compliance is one good indicator that the principles and ethics of sustainability are promoted and adhered to.  But then again, sustainability is about participatory development where each and every one of us has the opportunity to contribute constructively to development.  This is one area, to put it diplomatically, is still wanting.

As we approach the New Year one lingering question remains – How do we as conscientious citizens of this country keep SCORE in our hearts and minds, not as a mega physical project but as our contribution in whatever form, towards uplifting the very livelihood of our peoples?

Zabariah Haji Matali works with the Islamic Information Centre. 3rd Voice, initiated by AZAM and SDI is published fortnightly. Feedback can be sent to deborah@azam.org.my