'Nasi kosong, air masak cukup istimewa buat kami'
Oleh Adha Ghazali
adha@bharian.com.my
FARIDAH bersama anaknya sedih menceritakan keperitan hidup ketika ditemui di rumahnya di Taman Pelangi, Kampung Tanah Baru dekat Kuala Perlis, semalam.
Wanita enam anak tinggal bersama ibu hadapi tekanan jiwa derita dihimpit kemiskinan
KANGAR: "Setiap hari saya menangis melihat anak tidur dalam kelaparan... bagi kami, nasi kosong dan air masak sudah cukup istimewa," kata seorang ibu enam anak yang hidup dihimpit kemiskinan di Kampung Tanah Baru, Kuala Perlis, di sini.
Bagi Faridah Hashim, 30, hidupnya ibarat 'sudah jatuh ditimpa tangga' kerana bukan saja menanggung anak berusia tujuh hingga 14 tahun, malah seorang daripada mereka juga menghidap jantung berlubang yang memerlukan perbelanjaan tinggi.
Lebih memeritkan, suami yang dikahwini selama 14 tahun juga menghilangkan diri sejak dua tahun lalu, manakala ibu yang mengalami masalah tekanan jiwa turut tinggal bersama walaupun Faridah mempunyai dua adik beradik lain.
"Selepas suami menghilangkan diri, segala perbelanjaan termasuk menyekolahkan lima anak semuanya saya tanggung sendiri. Di mana saya hendak cari duit sebanyak itu hingga makan minum dan perbelanjaan harian keluarga sering terbantut.
"Malah, perbelanjaan untuk rawatan anak kelima, Mohd Safuan, 7, yang menghidap jantung berlubang juga sudah lama tertangguh... dia kini sering pengsan secara tiba-tiba dan kerap mengadu kesakitan," katanya.
Faridah yang pernah bekerja di sebuah kedai makan di Kuala Perlis, berkata juadah paling istimewa bagi mereka adalah nasi kosong, itu pun selepas mendapat beras yang disedekahkan jiran.
"Sampai bila kami perlu bergantung kepada ihsan rakan dan jiran. Saya cuba juga cari kerja, tetapi masalahnya siapa pula akan jaga anak bongsu serta ibu saya," katanya.
Katanya, setiap kali keluar mencari kerja, anak keduanya, Nurul Fatihah, 13, terpaksa ponteng sekolah kerana menjaga adik dan neneknya.
Faridah berkata, hidup mereka sebelum ini teratur dan segala nafkah tidak pernah terabai kerana suami bekerja sebagai tekong bot, tetapi segalanya berubah apabila lelaki itu berkenalan dengan seorang wanita Thailand, kira-kira dua tahun lalu.
Sejak itu, katanya segala perbelanjaan keluarga dan persekolahan anak mula terabai, malah keadaan kewangan suaminya juga mula tidak teratur sehingga lelaki itu dikatakan menanggung hutang hampir RM9,000 dengan majikannya.
"Saya minta dia tinggalkan perempuan itu demi masa depan anak, tetapi saya dipukul dan dibelasah. Kini, saya sudah tawar hati untuk hidup bersama suami," katanya.
Faridah yang sudah memfailkan fasakh di Mahkamah Syariah untuk menuntut cerai daripada suaminya, pernah memohon bantuan Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM), tetapi diberitahu tidak layak kerana masih muda dan mampu bekerja.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Catatan dari buku Surat Dr. Mahathir
RENCANA
Catatan dari buku Surat Dr. Mahathir
POLITICAL Euphoria. Istilah dari kancah politik dunia Barat menurut kenangan pembaca ketika membaca buku berjudul Surat Dr. Mahathir oleh Zainuddin Maidin, bekas Ketua Pengarang Kumpulan Utusan Melayu. Kerana kegirangan politik yang seumpama juga berlaku dalam masa interaksi mereka.
Hubungan di antara kedua meliputi pelbagai bidang. Ada kalanya akrab kerana pandangan politik yang sejurusan.
Pertemuan pertama mereka berlaku puluhan tahun lampau ketika Zam tinggal “di perkampungan haram Seberang Kereta Api Sungai Korok, lebih sebatu dari Bandar Alor Setar, di sebuah rumah buruk, sebuah keluarga miskin sedang menghadap lelaki tua yang sedang uzur.“ ”Ibunya segera menyuruhnya memanggil doktor dan ia terus berlari ke bandar. Dicatat seterusnya:
“Doktor, datuk saya sakit teruk,
“Di mana?
“Di Seberang Kereta Api Sungai Korok, masuk ikut lorong Sekolah Najat sehingga ke penghujung jalan dan terpaksa jalan kaki ke rumah saya kerana kereta tidak boleh masuk.
“Baiklah, pulang dahulu, nanti saya datang.”
Tidak lama kemudian doktor pun datang. Dia tidak bercakap banyak, hanya memeriksa dan memberikan ubat kepada pesakit. Apabila ditanya tentang bayarannya, doktor berkata: “Berapa yang ada berilah.” Ibu memberikannya dua ringgit dan doktor mengambilnya lalu pulang.
Peristiwa yang dialami lebih 30 tahun dahulu itu meninggalkan kesan yang mendalam di jiwa saya hingga ke hari ini. Pada masa itu, doktor tidak mengenali saya dan saya pun tidak pernah menemuinya. Ketika itu saya masih belajar di Maktab Mahmud Alor Setar. Langkah saya ke kliniknya semata-mata didorong oleh cerita dari mulut ke mulut tentang seorang doktor yang baik di Bandar Alor Setar, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Demikian catatan pertama Zam.
Di waktu itu Dr. Mahathir memiliki kereta “paling besar di bandar Alor Setar iaitu kereta Pontiac yang menyaingi kereta besar beberapa orang doktor bukan Melayu,” Zam menambah.
Diceritakan selanjutnya ialah beberapa peristiwa semasa Dr. Mahathir 22 tahun menjadi Perdana Menteri dan lebih 60 tahun dalam arena politik negara. Zam sendiri menjadi pemberita Utusan Melayu hingga menyandang jawatan ketua pengarang. Dengan itu interaksi mereka berlanjutan.
Oleh Zam disebut bahawa watak kewartawanan sukar dipisahkan daripada dirinya. “Maka itu adalah tepat sekali deskripsi yang dibuat oleh Dr. Mahathir dalam majlis pelancaran buku tulisan saya. Tun Razak: Jejak Bertapak Seorang Patriot bahawa “Zam adalah kawan saya tetapi kawan yang adakalanya menyukar.”
Lalu Zam mengulangi kenyataan Dr. Mahathir dalam satu majlis Kelab Akhbar Malaysia pada akhir 1980-an ketika Zam menjadi presiden, iaitu kritik terhadap sikap media selalu mendakwa bersuara bagi pihak rakyat. “Tuan-tuan tidak dipilih oleh rakyat dalam pilihan raya, bagaimanakah tuan-tuan boleh mendakwa bercakap bagi pihak rakyat?”
Zam kemudian menjawab dalam ucapannya: “Kami dipilih oleh rakyat setiap hari, orang ramai membeli akhbar setiap hari, selagi akhbar laku, maka selagi itu kami percaya bahawa kami dipilih oleh rakyat, apabila pasaran akhbar meningkat, bererti semakin ramai rakyat yang memilih kami, suara kami semakin kuat dan semakin sah apabila pasaran semakin tinggi.”
Lain hal berlaku, Zam menyambung cerita: “Apabila saya disingkirkan daripada jawatan Ketua Pengarang Kumpulan Utusan pada akhir 1992, kerana isu bahasa, saya telah menemui Dr. Mahathir bukan untuk meminta disambung kerja tetapi untuk mengetahui sendiri apakah benar beliau sendiri yang mahu menyingkirkan saya. Dr. Mahathir menyatakan: “Zam, saya tak boleh buat apa-apa lagi, semua Majlis Kerja Tertinggi telah menghentam you, saya berpuas hati.”
Penyingkiran itu “tidak terus memisahkan saya daripada Dr. Mahathir,” Zam menambah.
Juga dicatat ialah “kerajinan” Dr. Mahathir menulis surat kepada Zam ketika beliau masih berada di Alor Setar dan Zam menjadi wartawan di Kuala Lumpur dan semasa menjadi wakil Utusan di London ketika Dr. Mahathir menjadi Menteri Pelajaran dalam tahun 1975-1976.
Bab Surat Daripada Dr. Mahathir menyebut antara hasil interaksi kedua. “Memahami caranya berfikir dan bertindak selama beberapa tahun terutama ketika beliau berada dalam krisis politik memudahkan saya mengendalikan Utusan Melayu dan Utusan Malaysia ketika saya menjadi Ketua Pengarangnya dari tahun 1982-1992 dan semasa Dr. Mahathir menjadi Perdana Menteri.
Surat daripada Dr. Mahathir berupa tambahan kepada buku berjudul Mahathir Di Sebalik Tabir dan pelbagai peristiwa mengenai persaraan beliau. Pada suatu ketika Zam menulis: “Saya menangis seorang diri di bilik kerja di rumah,” ketika mengenang kembali pelbagai peristiwa.
Dari asal anak miskin beliau menjadi wartawan, mendapat fellowship Universiti Michigan, menjadi Ketua Pengarang akhbar dan kemudian menjadi Senator, Setiausaha Parlimen, Timbalan Menteri dan Menteri Penerangan. Juga dicatat ialah penghargaan kepada Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, seperti ditulis: “Saya amat menghargai Dr. Mahathir yang mengenang jasa saya kepadanya. Beliau membalas budi kepada saya sebagai wartawan. Sementara Abdullah rakan sejawat saya yang mempunyai latar belakang hampir sama dengan saya telah melihat potensi mengekalkan saya, mengesahkan pengiktirafan yang diberikan oleh Dr. Mahathir kepada saya dengan mengangkat saya menjadi menteri penuh.”
Zam mencatat antara lain nasihat Dr. Mahathir kepada Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim ketika itu dalam UMNO: “Dalam politik yang penting sekali ialah acceptability dan intelligence adalah yang kedua.”
Surat dari Dr. Mahathir kepada Zam di London pada 29 November 1975: “Coret-coret dari London masih saya baca tetapi tidak begitu menarik pada masa-masa yang lampau ini. Nampak saudara begitu tertarik dengan adat resam British Yes, what do you want, love? Dan sebagainya.” Dan lain-lain surat.
Catatan dari buku Surat Dr. Mahathir
POLITICAL Euphoria. Istilah dari kancah politik dunia Barat menurut kenangan pembaca ketika membaca buku berjudul Surat Dr. Mahathir oleh Zainuddin Maidin, bekas Ketua Pengarang Kumpulan Utusan Melayu. Kerana kegirangan politik yang seumpama juga berlaku dalam masa interaksi mereka.
Hubungan di antara kedua meliputi pelbagai bidang. Ada kalanya akrab kerana pandangan politik yang sejurusan.
Pertemuan pertama mereka berlaku puluhan tahun lampau ketika Zam tinggal “di perkampungan haram Seberang Kereta Api Sungai Korok, lebih sebatu dari Bandar Alor Setar, di sebuah rumah buruk, sebuah keluarga miskin sedang menghadap lelaki tua yang sedang uzur.“ ”Ibunya segera menyuruhnya memanggil doktor dan ia terus berlari ke bandar. Dicatat seterusnya:
“Doktor, datuk saya sakit teruk,
“Di mana?
“Di Seberang Kereta Api Sungai Korok, masuk ikut lorong Sekolah Najat sehingga ke penghujung jalan dan terpaksa jalan kaki ke rumah saya kerana kereta tidak boleh masuk.
“Baiklah, pulang dahulu, nanti saya datang.”
Tidak lama kemudian doktor pun datang. Dia tidak bercakap banyak, hanya memeriksa dan memberikan ubat kepada pesakit. Apabila ditanya tentang bayarannya, doktor berkata: “Berapa yang ada berilah.” Ibu memberikannya dua ringgit dan doktor mengambilnya lalu pulang.
Peristiwa yang dialami lebih 30 tahun dahulu itu meninggalkan kesan yang mendalam di jiwa saya hingga ke hari ini. Pada masa itu, doktor tidak mengenali saya dan saya pun tidak pernah menemuinya. Ketika itu saya masih belajar di Maktab Mahmud Alor Setar. Langkah saya ke kliniknya semata-mata didorong oleh cerita dari mulut ke mulut tentang seorang doktor yang baik di Bandar Alor Setar, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Demikian catatan pertama Zam.
Di waktu itu Dr. Mahathir memiliki kereta “paling besar di bandar Alor Setar iaitu kereta Pontiac yang menyaingi kereta besar beberapa orang doktor bukan Melayu,” Zam menambah.
Diceritakan selanjutnya ialah beberapa peristiwa semasa Dr. Mahathir 22 tahun menjadi Perdana Menteri dan lebih 60 tahun dalam arena politik negara. Zam sendiri menjadi pemberita Utusan Melayu hingga menyandang jawatan ketua pengarang. Dengan itu interaksi mereka berlanjutan.
Oleh Zam disebut bahawa watak kewartawanan sukar dipisahkan daripada dirinya. “Maka itu adalah tepat sekali deskripsi yang dibuat oleh Dr. Mahathir dalam majlis pelancaran buku tulisan saya. Tun Razak: Jejak Bertapak Seorang Patriot bahawa “Zam adalah kawan saya tetapi kawan yang adakalanya menyukar.”
Lalu Zam mengulangi kenyataan Dr. Mahathir dalam satu majlis Kelab Akhbar Malaysia pada akhir 1980-an ketika Zam menjadi presiden, iaitu kritik terhadap sikap media selalu mendakwa bersuara bagi pihak rakyat. “Tuan-tuan tidak dipilih oleh rakyat dalam pilihan raya, bagaimanakah tuan-tuan boleh mendakwa bercakap bagi pihak rakyat?”
Zam kemudian menjawab dalam ucapannya: “Kami dipilih oleh rakyat setiap hari, orang ramai membeli akhbar setiap hari, selagi akhbar laku, maka selagi itu kami percaya bahawa kami dipilih oleh rakyat, apabila pasaran akhbar meningkat, bererti semakin ramai rakyat yang memilih kami, suara kami semakin kuat dan semakin sah apabila pasaran semakin tinggi.”
Lain hal berlaku, Zam menyambung cerita: “Apabila saya disingkirkan daripada jawatan Ketua Pengarang Kumpulan Utusan pada akhir 1992, kerana isu bahasa, saya telah menemui Dr. Mahathir bukan untuk meminta disambung kerja tetapi untuk mengetahui sendiri apakah benar beliau sendiri yang mahu menyingkirkan saya. Dr. Mahathir menyatakan: “Zam, saya tak boleh buat apa-apa lagi, semua Majlis Kerja Tertinggi telah menghentam you, saya berpuas hati.”
Penyingkiran itu “tidak terus memisahkan saya daripada Dr. Mahathir,” Zam menambah.
Juga dicatat ialah “kerajinan” Dr. Mahathir menulis surat kepada Zam ketika beliau masih berada di Alor Setar dan Zam menjadi wartawan di Kuala Lumpur dan semasa menjadi wakil Utusan di London ketika Dr. Mahathir menjadi Menteri Pelajaran dalam tahun 1975-1976.
Bab Surat Daripada Dr. Mahathir menyebut antara hasil interaksi kedua. “Memahami caranya berfikir dan bertindak selama beberapa tahun terutama ketika beliau berada dalam krisis politik memudahkan saya mengendalikan Utusan Melayu dan Utusan Malaysia ketika saya menjadi Ketua Pengarangnya dari tahun 1982-1992 dan semasa Dr. Mahathir menjadi Perdana Menteri.
Surat daripada Dr. Mahathir berupa tambahan kepada buku berjudul Mahathir Di Sebalik Tabir dan pelbagai peristiwa mengenai persaraan beliau. Pada suatu ketika Zam menulis: “Saya menangis seorang diri di bilik kerja di rumah,” ketika mengenang kembali pelbagai peristiwa.
Dari asal anak miskin beliau menjadi wartawan, mendapat fellowship Universiti Michigan, menjadi Ketua Pengarang akhbar dan kemudian menjadi Senator, Setiausaha Parlimen, Timbalan Menteri dan Menteri Penerangan. Juga dicatat ialah penghargaan kepada Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, seperti ditulis: “Saya amat menghargai Dr. Mahathir yang mengenang jasa saya kepadanya. Beliau membalas budi kepada saya sebagai wartawan. Sementara Abdullah rakan sejawat saya yang mempunyai latar belakang hampir sama dengan saya telah melihat potensi mengekalkan saya, mengesahkan pengiktirafan yang diberikan oleh Dr. Mahathir kepada saya dengan mengangkat saya menjadi menteri penuh.”
Zam mencatat antara lain nasihat Dr. Mahathir kepada Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim ketika itu dalam UMNO: “Dalam politik yang penting sekali ialah acceptability dan intelligence adalah yang kedua.”
Surat dari Dr. Mahathir kepada Zam di London pada 29 November 1975: “Coret-coret dari London masih saya baca tetapi tidak begitu menarik pada masa-masa yang lampau ini. Nampak saudara begitu tertarik dengan adat resam British Yes, what do you want, love? Dan sebagainya.” Dan lain-lain surat.
Refugees his life’s work
Home » Personality
Refugees his life’s work
INTAN MAIZURA AHMAD KAMAL
After more than a decade away, the head of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Paul Alan Vernon, tells INTAN MAIZURA AHMAD KAMAL he’s glad to be back where he started
HIS handshake is firm and his eyes twinkle as he welcomes me into his spacious home in leafy Lingkungan U-Thant. There are beautiful paintings adorning the walls (“…my wife’s handiwork,” he proudly discloses) and just by the wooden side-table, copies of the Herald Tribune lie in a neat pile.
It’s obvious that American Paul Alan Vernon, the new KL head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is making himself right at home, having arrived two months ago with his family.
But, as he quickly points out, this is not his first time in the country. “This is a return to the place where I started my career with the UNHCR.”
The affable 55-year-old, whose hobbies include tennis, reading and going for walks, says: “Malaysia is special for a number of reasons. My first assignment with UNHCR, back in 1987, was in Pulau Bidong, Kuala Terengganu. I was a field officer and worked with the Malaysian Red Crescent Society and the police to deal with the Vietnamese refugee situation.
“It was also a time of large-scale resettlement. Pulau Bidong was a camp where people could find sanctuary and safety. Because it was an island, it required a lot of support from the mainland, so that’s what we did.”
It was also in Malaysia that he met his wife who was working in the camp as a social worker. “She’s Vietnamese, but her family had left Vietnam in 1975 and resettled in the US. Interestingly enough, we’re both from Pennsylvania and we met here! So for those reasons it’s been good to come back.”
As the head of UNHCR, Vernon’s job scope has changed. Heading a team of more than 100 people, he’s overseeing an operation that has changed somewhat. Although there are no longer any camps today, refugees are still pouring into the country. And as in the past, “…we try to make sure they’re protected, and have an opportunity to live as normal a life as possible,” he explains.
“We register the refugees and conduct status determination to check whether they qualify as a refugee. Then we work for resettlement. We also support programmes in health and education, do community development to support the refugee communities and work closely with our partners. We want to encourage the government to continue to provide support for refugees and maybe to make that situation a little bit more regular.”
The refugee situation is always a challenge for any country to deal with, adds Vernon, who cites his family and the opportunity to do interesting work as factors that drive him.
“There are more than 10 million refugees around the world. If you count people who have been displaced inside their country, the number is closer to 35 million. In Malaysia, there are 45,000 who are registered and 90 per cent are from Myanmar.”
Basic needs remain. Families who are separated want to be reunited. The children need to go to school, people need to work and solutions need to be found.
“They need to know that their lives are on hold and that hopefully, they’d be able to go home because that’s the best solution for them,” he says.
What if they can’t?
He pauses. “That’s really tough because most of the time they want to go home. They’re not like migrants who leave their country in search of a better life. A migrant is not a refugee. A refugee has been forced to leave his home because of circumstances such as human rights abuses, conflicts and non-acceptance by the government because of religious or political beliefs or ethnic group. It’s also a challenge for us to recognise migrants, not only here, but around the world, because there are many of them.”
Proficient in four languages — English, French, Thai and Laotian — this father of two boys aged 14 and 10, thrives on the challenges that come with the job.
“It’s interesting. You’re essentially dealing with the by-product of issues that you read about on the front pages of the newspapers – conflicts and human rights problems. It’s all really compelling and very real. On the other hand, you also have the opportunity to encounter really remarkable people — refugees and the wonderful people helping them.”
Vernon’s first encounter with refugees was in 1979 when Vietnamese refugees were being resettled in the US. “I was teaching at a secondary school and part time at a university. I also volunteered to teach English to Vietnamese refugees for a year.”
He later opted to go overseas as a Peace Corp volunteer in Thailand doing development work, teacher training as well as carrying out community projects. He recalls: “During that period, between 1980 and 1983, there were Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian refugees coming to Malaysia and where I was, there were refugee camps not far away. So I stayed on in Thailand and worked with the refugees for four years.”
When he eventually got back to the US, Vernon thought it was the end of his work with the refugees. “Then I learned of an opportunity in the US State Department which was looking for people to go overseas and work with UNHCR in a programme called the Junior Professional Officer Programme. That’s how I got to Malaysia,” he says, chuckling.
“After that I had a year-long contract, and then another year-long contract — from Malaysia to Sri Lanka and to Geneva. Pretty soon it was 21 years. It wasn’t a life choice to begin with. In many ways, this work found me.”
Refugees his life’s work
INTAN MAIZURA AHMAD KAMAL
After more than a decade away, the head of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Paul Alan Vernon, tells INTAN MAIZURA AHMAD KAMAL he’s glad to be back where he started
HIS handshake is firm and his eyes twinkle as he welcomes me into his spacious home in leafy Lingkungan U-Thant. There are beautiful paintings adorning the walls (“…my wife’s handiwork,” he proudly discloses) and just by the wooden side-table, copies of the Herald Tribune lie in a neat pile.
It’s obvious that American Paul Alan Vernon, the new KL head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is making himself right at home, having arrived two months ago with his family.
But, as he quickly points out, this is not his first time in the country. “This is a return to the place where I started my career with the UNHCR.”
The affable 55-year-old, whose hobbies include tennis, reading and going for walks, says: “Malaysia is special for a number of reasons. My first assignment with UNHCR, back in 1987, was in Pulau Bidong, Kuala Terengganu. I was a field officer and worked with the Malaysian Red Crescent Society and the police to deal with the Vietnamese refugee situation.
“It was also a time of large-scale resettlement. Pulau Bidong was a camp where people could find sanctuary and safety. Because it was an island, it required a lot of support from the mainland, so that’s what we did.”
It was also in Malaysia that he met his wife who was working in the camp as a social worker. “She’s Vietnamese, but her family had left Vietnam in 1975 and resettled in the US. Interestingly enough, we’re both from Pennsylvania and we met here! So for those reasons it’s been good to come back.”
As the head of UNHCR, Vernon’s job scope has changed. Heading a team of more than 100 people, he’s overseeing an operation that has changed somewhat. Although there are no longer any camps today, refugees are still pouring into the country. And as in the past, “…we try to make sure they’re protected, and have an opportunity to live as normal a life as possible,” he explains.
“We register the refugees and conduct status determination to check whether they qualify as a refugee. Then we work for resettlement. We also support programmes in health and education, do community development to support the refugee communities and work closely with our partners. We want to encourage the government to continue to provide support for refugees and maybe to make that situation a little bit more regular.”
The refugee situation is always a challenge for any country to deal with, adds Vernon, who cites his family and the opportunity to do interesting work as factors that drive him.
“There are more than 10 million refugees around the world. If you count people who have been displaced inside their country, the number is closer to 35 million. In Malaysia, there are 45,000 who are registered and 90 per cent are from Myanmar.”
Basic needs remain. Families who are separated want to be reunited. The children need to go to school, people need to work and solutions need to be found.
“They need to know that their lives are on hold and that hopefully, they’d be able to go home because that’s the best solution for them,” he says.
What if they can’t?
He pauses. “That’s really tough because most of the time they want to go home. They’re not like migrants who leave their country in search of a better life. A migrant is not a refugee. A refugee has been forced to leave his home because of circumstances such as human rights abuses, conflicts and non-acceptance by the government because of religious or political beliefs or ethnic group. It’s also a challenge for us to recognise migrants, not only here, but around the world, because there are many of them.”
Proficient in four languages — English, French, Thai and Laotian — this father of two boys aged 14 and 10, thrives on the challenges that come with the job.
“It’s interesting. You’re essentially dealing with the by-product of issues that you read about on the front pages of the newspapers – conflicts and human rights problems. It’s all really compelling and very real. On the other hand, you also have the opportunity to encounter really remarkable people — refugees and the wonderful people helping them.”
Vernon’s first encounter with refugees was in 1979 when Vietnamese refugees were being resettled in the US. “I was teaching at a secondary school and part time at a university. I also volunteered to teach English to Vietnamese refugees for a year.”
He later opted to go overseas as a Peace Corp volunteer in Thailand doing development work, teacher training as well as carrying out community projects. He recalls: “During that period, between 1980 and 1983, there were Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian refugees coming to Malaysia and where I was, there were refugee camps not far away. So I stayed on in Thailand and worked with the refugees for four years.”
When he eventually got back to the US, Vernon thought it was the end of his work with the refugees. “Then I learned of an opportunity in the US State Department which was looking for people to go overseas and work with UNHCR in a programme called the Junior Professional Officer Programme. That’s how I got to Malaysia,” he says, chuckling.
“After that I had a year-long contract, and then another year-long contract — from Malaysia to Sri Lanka and to Geneva. Pretty soon it was 21 years. It wasn’t a life choice to begin with. In many ways, this work found me.”
Charity art auction
Charity art auction
2009/02/12
Summer palace (69cm x 102cm - acrylic) by Abdul Rasid Yusoff.
AUCTIONEERS Henry Butcher Malaysia will be holding a charity art auction in aid of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia and Lions Lyfe-Line Leukaemia Fund on Feb 28 at the Royal Selangor Golf Club in Jalan Tun Razak.
Sisterly love (97x76cm - oil ) by Keng Seng Choo.
The auction, titled Art for Life, marks the inaugural effort by the auctioneer.
Over 50 paintings will be put up for the auction that will be preceded by an exhibition of the paintings from Feb 26 at the same venue.
Viewing hours are from 10am to 6pm.
The auction will be held right after the dinner on Feb 28.
Tickets are priced at RM250 per person.
Highlights include the auction of paintings done by special children from the HeArt group and children from Garden International School as well as a painting demonstration by watercolourist Tan Yik Saw.
According to a statement by the company, the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah (who is also the Royal Patron of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia), and the Raja Permaisuri Perak will be guests-of-honour.
There will also be an exclusive jewellery auction, the proceeds of which will also go to charity.
For details, call 03-2694-2212.
2009/02/12
Summer palace (69cm x 102cm - acrylic) by Abdul Rasid Yusoff.
AUCTIONEERS Henry Butcher Malaysia will be holding a charity art auction in aid of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia and Lions Lyfe-Line Leukaemia Fund on Feb 28 at the Royal Selangor Golf Club in Jalan Tun Razak.
Sisterly love (97x76cm - oil ) by Keng Seng Choo.
The auction, titled Art for Life, marks the inaugural effort by the auctioneer.
Over 50 paintings will be put up for the auction that will be preceded by an exhibition of the paintings from Feb 26 at the same venue.
Viewing hours are from 10am to 6pm.
The auction will be held right after the dinner on Feb 28.
Tickets are priced at RM250 per person.
Highlights include the auction of paintings done by special children from the HeArt group and children from Garden International School as well as a painting demonstration by watercolourist Tan Yik Saw.
According to a statement by the company, the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah (who is also the Royal Patron of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia), and the Raja Permaisuri Perak will be guests-of-honour.
There will also be an exclusive jewellery auction, the proceeds of which will also go to charity.
For details, call 03-2694-2212.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Group to send canned meat to famine areas
Friday February 13, 2009
Group to send canned meat to famine areas
By SHAHRIL CHE WAN
KUALA TERENGGANU: Muslim Aid Asia (MAA) plans to dispatch 174,000 cans of meat to the Islamic states of Palestine, Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia and Sudan.
MAA aims to help overcome famine in these states caused by war and widespread natural disasters that have resulted in a scarcity of food supplies over the years.
MAA director Wan Rusli Wan Muda said the aid could provide food to 800,000 victims in these nations.
For a good cause: Pertima Trengganu Sdn Bhd manager Mohammad Latef (left) and Wan Rosli looking at canned meat due for shipment to Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Pakistan next month.
“The shipment will start early next month after the completion of the necessary documentation,” he said here recently.
Wan Rusli added that MAA had received 73 tonnes of meat through the Qurban For Life Programme, a collaboration between MAA and Muslim Aid Australia for the humanitarian mission.
“The slaughtering of sacrificial animals is done at abattoirs in Australia and monitored by Malaysia Islamic Development Department while the canning is done at the Pertima factory in Chendering here,” he said.
The slaughtering, he said, had to be done in Australia as Malaysia had no abattoirs to cope with the heavy task.
Wan Rusli said the canned meat was certified halal by Jakim and the slaughtering was monitored by MAA representatives from Malaysia, Australia and Singapore.
He said that MAA had also delivered RM1.5mil worth of aid in form of food packages, drinking water and medical items to Palestinians.
Group to send canned meat to famine areas
By SHAHRIL CHE WAN
KUALA TERENGGANU: Muslim Aid Asia (MAA) plans to dispatch 174,000 cans of meat to the Islamic states of Palestine, Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia and Sudan.
MAA aims to help overcome famine in these states caused by war and widespread natural disasters that have resulted in a scarcity of food supplies over the years.
MAA director Wan Rusli Wan Muda said the aid could provide food to 800,000 victims in these nations.
For a good cause: Pertima Trengganu Sdn Bhd manager Mohammad Latef (left) and Wan Rosli looking at canned meat due for shipment to Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Pakistan next month.
“The shipment will start early next month after the completion of the necessary documentation,” he said here recently.
Wan Rusli added that MAA had received 73 tonnes of meat through the Qurban For Life Programme, a collaboration between MAA and Muslim Aid Australia for the humanitarian mission.
“The slaughtering of sacrificial animals is done at abattoirs in Australia and monitored by Malaysia Islamic Development Department while the canning is done at the Pertima factory in Chendering here,” he said.
The slaughtering, he said, had to be done in Australia as Malaysia had no abattoirs to cope with the heavy task.
Wan Rusli said the canned meat was certified halal by Jakim and the slaughtering was monitored by MAA representatives from Malaysia, Australia and Singapore.
He said that MAA had also delivered RM1.5mil worth of aid in form of food packages, drinking water and medical items to Palestinians.
Firm gives RM15,000 to Gazans
Saturday February 14, 2009
Firm gives RM15,000 to Gazans
Some RM15,000 was channelled to the Palestinian Fund set up by the Yayasan Salam Malaysia (Salam) to further provide aid to the victims of the recent Israeli invasion of Gaza.
The sum, donated by staff members of MK Land Holdings Bhd and Emkay Group, will be used to buy essential items such as soap, toothbrushes, diapers, clothes and shoes.
Out of the amount, the group’s chairman Tan Sri Mustapha Kamal Abu Bakar contributed RM10,000.
Mohamed Nasir Sulaiman, who is the special officer to Mustapha Kamal, urged the public to do their bit and contribute to the fund as the victims needed as much help as possible.
Showing their concern: Ahmad (second from right) receiving the RM15,000 cheque from Mohamed Nasir (second from left). With them are Teh (left) and Md Ghani.
“We are grateful to be living in a peaceful country like Malaysia while Palestinian children who are supposed to be in school are mourning the loss of their parents.
“The war has caused such depressing situations but with a little bit of help, we can contribute towards the Palestinian plight through the fund,” Mohamed Nasir said during a cheque- presentation ceremony at the Emkay Group office in Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya, recently.
Salam board member Datuk Ahmad A. Talib, who received the cheque, said the foundation had collected a total of RM200,000 so far through the fund.
“We plan to go to Gaza for the second time to buy necessities for the those affected by the strikes,” he said, adding that medical supplies such as medicine, needles and surgical equipment would also be donated.
Ahmad said he sympathised with the Palestinians as they not only suffered from lack of food supply and necessities but were completely cut off from world trade.
“It is such a waste because some of the finest olives, oranges and persimmons come from their country.
“On top of it all, about 50% of the 1.5 million population in Gaza are unemployed. This makes it even more difficult for them to survive,” he said.
Also present at the ceremony were the foundation’s chief operation officer, Md Ghani Ibrahim, and Emkay Group chief operating officer Peter Teh Heng Poh.
Firm gives RM15,000 to Gazans
Some RM15,000 was channelled to the Palestinian Fund set up by the Yayasan Salam Malaysia (Salam) to further provide aid to the victims of the recent Israeli invasion of Gaza.
The sum, donated by staff members of MK Land Holdings Bhd and Emkay Group, will be used to buy essential items such as soap, toothbrushes, diapers, clothes and shoes.
Out of the amount, the group’s chairman Tan Sri Mustapha Kamal Abu Bakar contributed RM10,000.
Mohamed Nasir Sulaiman, who is the special officer to Mustapha Kamal, urged the public to do their bit and contribute to the fund as the victims needed as much help as possible.
Showing their concern: Ahmad (second from right) receiving the RM15,000 cheque from Mohamed Nasir (second from left). With them are Teh (left) and Md Ghani.
“We are grateful to be living in a peaceful country like Malaysia while Palestinian children who are supposed to be in school are mourning the loss of their parents.
“The war has caused such depressing situations but with a little bit of help, we can contribute towards the Palestinian plight through the fund,” Mohamed Nasir said during a cheque- presentation ceremony at the Emkay Group office in Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya, recently.
Salam board member Datuk Ahmad A. Talib, who received the cheque, said the foundation had collected a total of RM200,000 so far through the fund.
“We plan to go to Gaza for the second time to buy necessities for the those affected by the strikes,” he said, adding that medical supplies such as medicine, needles and surgical equipment would also be donated.
Ahmad said he sympathised with the Palestinians as they not only suffered from lack of food supply and necessities but were completely cut off from world trade.
“It is such a waste because some of the finest olives, oranges and persimmons come from their country.
“On top of it all, about 50% of the 1.5 million population in Gaza are unemployed. This makes it even more difficult for them to survive,” he said.
Also present at the ceremony were the foundation’s chief operation officer, Md Ghani Ibrahim, and Emkay Group chief operating officer Peter Teh Heng Poh.
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