Tag - Culture

KOTA KINABALU: Three cooperatives from Sabah were listed among the top 100 cooperatives in Malaysia last year. Sawit Kinabalu Personnel Cooperative Berhad was listed at number 14, Sabah Government Servants Cooperative Berhad at 50 and Nasip Kita Tawau Cooperative Berhad at 77. Additionally, Mukim Batu Puteh Kinabatangan Tourism Cooperative Berhad from Sandakan was also awarded the Best Cooperative in Tourism, Personal Grooming and Healthcare Category. Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin said Sabah had recorded an excellent performance in the cooperative sector, marked by many significant achievements throughout the year. Yahya, who is also the Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, said 1,053 cooperatives with a combined membership of 296,309 and assets worth over RM517 million were registered in Sabah as of November, last year. The capital shares and membership fees collected amounted to RM89.81 million while the estimated income generating capacity stood at RM281.4 million per year. “These figures clearly show that the cooperative sector has its own strength. Developed collectively and properly, it will have a huge impact towards the economic development of the State,” said Yahya when officiating at the state-level launch of Institute of Cooperative Malaysia (iCOOP) here yesterday. Yahya, who also chairs the Sabah Cooperative Council, said the government recognized the potentials in the cooperative segment and had implemented various programmes specifically for developing this sector. He noted that in 2013 focus was given to five key result areas identified in the National Cooperative Policy, including to transform cooperative outlets to boost their competitiveness. He said 69 cooperative premises benefited from the Transformasi Kedai Runcit (TUKAR) programme in Sabah, each received a grant up to RM72,000. “The impact was noticeable, with the sales of cooperatives involved increased by almost four folds from RM5.5 million in 2011 to RM21.4 million in 2012,” he said. In terms of human capital development, 235 training programmes were implemented last year, he added. Meanwhile, Cooperative Malaysia College (MKM) director general Dr Ahmad Zahiruddin Yahya said 57 ‘Integrated Approach’ programmes had been planned for 2014. With the launch of iCOOP in Sabah, various long-term development programmes will be implemented, starting with the introduction of Diploma in Cooperative Management by MKM this year. “If the response is encouraging, it is not impossible that we may bring more long-term programmes to the State,” he said. Source: Borneo Post

Kota Kinabalu: The first KK String Music Festival will be held at the Sabah Art Gallery from Dec 29 to 31. The festival is held in collaboration with the Sabah Art Gallery and Jesselton Philharmonic Orchestra with the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia and Tourism Malaysia in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year 2014. According to Sabah Art Gallery Manager Jennifer P. Linggi, there will be music workshops and two evening concerts by resident guest artistes as well as invited international artistes which is the Romer String Quartet from Hong Kong on Dec 29 and Dec 30 respectively. She said there will also be music workshops along with a special Music Appreciation Workshop sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia participated by youths and music enthusiasts from various districts such as Kudat, Tambunan and other places. According to her, the event would be a beginning for something bigger and she hoped that there would be more outreach programmes in the future besides training more youth and music enthusiasts. Jennifer also said that the admission and concerts are free throughout the event and is open to the public. Meanwhile, several celebrities have been invited for the New Year's Eve countdown as Sabah Tourism Board celebrates VMY 2014. The entertainment would kick off at 6pm at Lintasan Deasoka along Gaya Street. Among the singers are Awie Wings, Fiq Mentor, Janrywine J. Lusin, Easter Applunius, Den Bisa and Ritchell Andreas. Other events include a handicraft and tourism exhibition. For Sabah, VMY 2014 is extra special as the official mascot, the proboscis monkey, is a primate unique to Borneo. The first Visit Malaysia Year was launched in 1990 with the theme, Fascinating Malaysia, Year of Festivals. In 1994, the theme for VMY was Fascinating Malaysia, Naturally More while the third VMY was declared in 2007 in conjunction with Malaysia's 50th year of independence. Sabah has also lined up major programmes for next year, featuring its signature events and celebrations which focus on culture, arts, sports, history and nature. They include the 2nd FAI Asian Paragliding Accuracy Championship (March 12-19), Semporna Regatta Lepa (April 25-27), Sabah Fest 2014 A Cultural Extravaganza (May 2-4), 7th Borneo International Marathon (May 4), Harvest Festival Tadau Kaamatan Celebrations (May 30-31), 9th Sabah Folklore Festival (June), 29th Sabah Dragon Boat Race (June 7-8), 8th Kota Kinabalu Jazz Festival (June 13-14), Sunset Music Fest at the Tip of Borneo, Kudat (June 20-21), Sandakan Memorial Day (Aug 15), Borneo Bird Festival (Sept 25-28) and Mt Kinabalu International Climbathon (Oct 18-19). Source: Daily Express