Sharks a source of many jobs

KOTA KINABALU: Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun, is ‘unapologetic’ about his stand on the issue of shark fin harvesting and shark killing, saying  sharks played an important role as an economic driver in the tourism industry. Masidi, who opened the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) Malaysia and Sabah Shark Protection Association (SSPA) business dialogue, ‘My Fin My Life,’ also said the shark population in the state is a source of many jobs for locals. “Every year, foreign divers come over to dive in Sabah and 80 per cent of them want to see sharks in the wild, among others. “We gross about RM350 to RM380 million each year from the diving industry and that’s a huge amount of money, but aside from that, the industry creates jobs, especially for locals. “By our own reluctance to go full steam ahead to protect the sharks, we are actually giving an opportunity to our neighbouring countries to grab the tourism windfall that we are currently experiencing. “We’re going to lose a lot of jobs due to this. The first people to lose jobs are locals, and the tourism industry is the only industry in Sabah, even probably in Malaysia, with the highest percentage of local employment. “In Sabah, about 90 over per cent of tourism employees are local. So, we are basically saying that in the name of shark fin soup, we make sure that 90 per cent of Sabahans in the country are out of jobs,” he said. Masidi went on to say that even the food industry will eventually lose if sharks are continually hunted and killed for their fins, adding that it’s a temporary feeling of relief that they are protecting a small industry, but killing a much bigger one in the long run. Nevertheless, work is being done for the protection of sharks in Sabah waters, as Masidi reiterated that all marine parks will be converted into a shark sanctuary, as was passed by the State Assembly. He added that Sabah Parks was also currently going through the barriers and legal issues and, if the need arose, would bring up the necessity for amendments in the law to ensure that the marine parks really acted as a sanctuary for sharks to be protected. “My personal hope is that the marine parks will be the first step towards the total banning of shark hunting and shark killing in Sabah. “We are here not just to live our life, but to prepare the lives of the future generation. This is an emotional issue, so to speak. Some are passionately for the protection of sharks, while others are not agreeable with what we are fighting for. “My job here is not to condemn those who do not agree with me, but I can say that I am for shark protection and I’m not apologetic with my stand. “To me, the proposition is very simple: either we finish all the sharks that are available in Sabah and that’s the end of it, or protect them and turn them into an economic driver of the tourism industry and make money out of them,” he said. Also present at yesterday’s dialogue was Kota Kinabalu City Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai, who similarly expressed his support for the protection of sharks.   Source : The Borneo Post
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Bright future for UiTM graduates in tourism – Masidi

KOTA KINABALU: Hotel and tourism management faculty students at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) have bright future in Sabah because the tourism sector in Sabah is one of the sectors where most locals are employed, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun. He said, 95 percent of workers in the sector are locals compared to the other sectors. “UiTM students here have a bright future as it usually take six months to get a job upon completing their studies when compared to other educational institutions,” he said. He urged students at the university to improve their command of the English language and not shy to be a UiTM graduate since the courses offered at the university complied with the needs of industries,” Masidi said, when launching the 2016 World Tourism Day celebration organised by UiTM yesterday. Masidi said, he expects the tourism sector to grow further in Sabah in the future, so the students should not be unduly worried about not getting jobs. He added that as of June 2016, arrivals from Europe increased by 2.7 percent when compared to the same period last year, while Chinese arrivals have increased by 48.2 percent during the same period. Also present was Sabah UiTM rector, Datuk Dr. Abdul Kadir Rosline. Source: Borneo Post
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World Tourism Day 2016

World Tourism Day 2016 YB Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun officiated the 'World Tourism Day' event organized by the Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management UITM Sabah at UITM Campus Sabah, Sepanggar on September 27, 2016. YB Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun merasmikan Hari Pelancongan Sedunia yang telah dianjurkan oleh Fakulti Pengurusan Hotel dan Pelancongan UITM Sabah bertempat di Kampus UITM Sabah Sepanggar pada 27 September 2016.
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KDCA seeking students for RENG college

Kota Kinabalu: The Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA) will be scouring all the districts in the State for suitable students who would like to further their studies at RENG College. Its President Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan said apart from having a good academic ability and outstanding achievement, the students must also have deep interest in specialised courses. In a press conference after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the college and KDCA on Wednesday, Pairin said the college has agreed to provide half scholarships to 10 students and one full scholarship to a selected student. "KDCA has 603 branches throughout the State and we are never short of KDM students to be given scholarships. We want our students to excel academically especially in the specialised courses because this is where the job market is now," he said. He said KDCA is always in the pursuit of ensuring its people continue to have better education. Of course, he added, not everybody has the opportunity to continue their studies if they did not fulfil some criteria required by universities and colleges. "Sometimes, it is not that the students are lacking in terms of intelligence. But due to lack of assistance, guidance and encouragement, they are left behind. Although they did not score so well, they must not stop their education. "In this collaboration between KDCA and RENG College, both sides recognise the situation and we try to work out a system of providing assistance to these students by giving them scholarship and encourage them to stay in the course," he said. Pairin said the MoU is only one of KDCA's ways of empowering the people and the association will continue to explore other opportunities especially education opportunities as it is important that the people are equipped with knowledge if they want to compete and succeed in this challenging world. He said priority will be given to students who come from poor families. The scholarships come in the form of cash of fee waivers to help students pay for living expenses. According to the MoU, every term KDCA will nominate 11 students to RENG College who will then provide them with the Academic Merit Scholarships. RENG College representative Datin Annie Eng said Sabahan students do not have a strong command of English as they are so used to speaking Malay in schools and in their daily conversation. "However, we found that they are very good in hands-on courses. That is why we approached KDCA for this programme. Many students are left behind academically because of their family background but we want to give them this opportunity for those who are interested," she said. Eng also assured that students who graduated from the college will be guaranteed employment because the college is backed up by their industrial partners who prefer to employ RENG College graduates. The college has three main schools namely the Built Environment offering Architecture and Interior Design, Technology and Design offering Technology and Design, Multimedia Design, Game Design and Digital Animation and Business and Accountancy offering Business Management and Accountancy. It has two campuses in Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya respectively. Source: Daily Express
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Launching of UMS Eco Campus Tourism Information Centre

UMS Eco Campus Tourism Information Centre YB Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun launched the UMS Eco Campus Tourism Information Centre on August 3, 2016. The purpose of the information centre is to give information to visitors about the attractions within the campus. YB Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun telah melancarkan Pusat Informasi Pengunjung UMS Eco-Campus pada 3 Ogos 2016. Pusat informarsi ini bertujuan untuk memberikan penerangan kepada tarikan-tarikan yang terdapat di universiti berkenaan kepada pengunjung-pengunjung yang datang berkunjung di Universiti tersebut.
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