theSun | TUESDAY MAY 26 2009 5

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Permata Negara will help realise 1Malaysia concept: Rosmah

KUALA LUMPUR: The “Permata
Negara” early childhood care and
education programme will help realise
the concept of 1Malaysia among chil-
dren through its syllabus, Datin Seri
Rosmah Mansor, wife of the prime
minister, said yesterday.
The syllabus does not differenti-
ate the children in terms of race,
background or religion, Rosmah, the
chairman of the national Permata
policy executive committee, said.
“The formative years of one to five
are the most appropriate to shape
thinking skills and self-resilience in
children through early exposure to
communication and mingling in the
natural way,” she said after an inter-
view over Radio 24 at Wisma Bernama
here.
Rosmah said that at the Permata
Negara centres, the children found
themselves in a comfortable and
pleasant atmosphere without any feel-
ing of racial difference, and together
sang the “Negaraku” and learned the
“Rukun Negara”.
“At the Permata Negara centres,
we want the children to undergo
a good interaction process without
coercion or the need for a special
programme to foster unity among
them,” she said.
Rosmah said feedback showed
that children who went through the
Permata Negara centres underwent a
process of healthy mingling whereby
they were able to pick up the dialects
or languages of the other communi-
ties.
She said she hoped that a ministry
would set up a special department
to supervise the syllabus used at the
Permata Negara centres so that it can
be extended to all other kindergartens
and nurseries.
Rosmah said that by the end of
this year, more than 300 Community
Development Department (Kemas)
nurseries would be recognised as
Permata Negara centres and by next
year all the Kemas nurseries would
follow the Permata Negara syllabus.
The Permata Negara centres have
been operating under an early child-
hood care and education pioneer
project for children under five since
March 1, 2007, with priority given to
those from families with a monthly
household income of less than
RM1,500.
The nurturing at the Permata
Negara centres differs from that at
the ordinary nurseries in the sense
that parents are required to spend at
least one hour every week to be with
the children at the centres, besides
visiting them at lunchtime daily to
foster a closer parent-child relation-
ship. – Bernama

68 Mara college
students allowed
to go home
I was offered posts and
KUALA LUMPUR: Sixty-eight of
the 199 Kuantan Mara Science
College (MRSM) students placed
in isolated rooms in the college
have been cleared of the influ-
enza A(H1N1) virus and allowed
sia were freed of the influenza
A(H1N1) virus with the excep-
tion of two confirmed on May
15 and 16.
Of the 26 sus-
pected cases of ZA
A(H1N1)
cash, alleges Aminah
INFLUEN

HO

to go home. influenza A(H1N1)

by Bernard Cheah Aminah told a press conference at the Election Commission at
TLINE

Director-General of Health yesterday, 17 were

Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican
said yesterday the remaining
131 students were still placed
freed of the virus,
newsdesk@thesundaily.com at her operations centre in Simpang 11am today and leave it to the EC
and tests were
Tiga Kubang Ulu yesterday she had to determine the next course of
SEBERANG PERAI: Independ- a digital recording of a three-hour action.
being conducted
ent candidate for the Penanti state conversation between her and two Present at the press conference
03

00

under observation. on the remaining -8

He said the students were
infected with the seasonal in-
fluenza H3 which had nothing to
do with influenza A(H1N1).
“A medical team visits the
college twice a day to check
on their condition. None of the
students had been admitted to
the hospital,” he said in a state-
ment.
In Kedah, 12 of 18 students
from Sekolah Model Khas Bukit
Jenun, Pendang have been dis-
charged from Hospital Sultanah
Bahiyah.
“Three more students are
expected to be discharged to-
day (Monday) as their condition
has stabilised. There are no new
cases among the students of the
school,” said Mohd Ismail.
To date, 241 cases in Malay-
nine patients by the 881 00/3 by-election Aminah Abdullah has men who, she claimed, were from were her husband Mohd Rofi Os-
Institute for Medical
02 claimed that she was made several PKR. She declined to name them. man, who had resigned from PKR
“offers” if she pulled out of the con- She said the incident took place along with her two years ago, and
Research.
test before nominations were held in her home in Jelutong on May her daughter Hernanie Rofi.
The World Health Organisa-
last Saturday. 13. Aminah later went to the Se-
tion reported that the number of
Aminah, 57, a former PKR state The recording was made with- berang Perai Tengah police head-
countries affected by influenza
Aminah wanita chief, said she was offered out the knowledge of the two men, quarters to lodge a police report to
A (H1N1) remained unchanged
with a copy the post of Penang Island Munici- Aminah, a PKR member from 1999 ensure her safety throughout the
at 44.
of her police pal Council (MPPP) president if she to 2007, said. campaigning period. Polling will be
Five more deaths were re-
report and withdrew from the by-election, and Aminah, who said she turned held on Sunday.
ported in Mexico, bringing the
a CD of her the post of deputy chief minister (I) down the offers, added that her PKR elections director Saifuddin
global death toll to 91.
‘meeting’ if she contested and won. family members took several pho- Nasution said the party would not
On the leptospirosis outbreak
with the She also said she was offered tographs of her talking to the two answer claims that have not been
at the Juru Immigration Deten-
two men. RM80,000 cash. men with their mobile phones. proven.
tion Depot in Bukit Mertajam,
Mohd Ismail said the situation
“I’m steadfast on my principles “When she has proof, we will
was under control and there
on justice and the truth,” she said. answer accordingly. We will issue
were no new cases.
Aminah said she was not “ex- her a notice of demand, asking
“The remaining seven pa-
posing” the matter to defame PKR her to either retract the statement,
tients isolated at Bukit Mertajam
but to answer the challenge made apologise or pay compensation,”
Hospital and Seberang Jaya Hos-
by PKR state chief Datuk Zahrain he said.
pital are in stable condition,” he
Mohamed Hashim to produce Saifuddin said the party would
said. – Bernama
evidence. leave the matter to its lawyers, led
She said she will make a report by PKR vice-president R. Sivarasa.

More cases in China,

MASRY CHE ANI/THESUN

Australia
and South Korea
TOKYO: Schools in western
Japan reopened their doors
yesterday as the number of
new H1N1 flu infections lev-
elled off but China, Australia
and South Korea announced
a rise in their numbers of
confirmed cases.
The H1N1 swine flu has
infected more than 12,000
people in 43 countries and
killed 86 according to the
World Health Organisation,
which is poised to declare a
full pandemic of the virus.
WHO chief Dr Margaret
Chan said on Friday the world
had to be ready for H1N1 flu
to become more severe and
kill more people.
Japan’s Health Ministry
had confirmed 343 cases of
the new flu as of late Sunday.
About 4,500 schools closed
last week as the virus spread,
mostly among teenagers in
the western prefectures of
Osaka and Hyogo.
Japan is the worst-affected
country in Asia in terms of the
spread of the new H1N1 swine
flu virus.
But the government had
relaxed some of its regulations
on dealing with the new strain
of flu last week, concerned
that they would harm the
already ailing economy.
Chinese health authorities
confirmed two cases of H1N1
swine flu infection on Sunday
and two yesterday, bringing
the total confirmed infections
on the mainland to 11.
Each of the new cases
was in a separate part of the
country, with no suggestion
yet that the flu outbreak has
taken a life of its own in the
nation of 1.3 billion.
South Korea said yester-
day its number of confirmed
flu cases rose sharply over
the weekend to 22, when a
23-year-old woman, a US
citizen, who flew from San
Francisco to teach English,
was confirmed with the virus.
Fourteen others who were in
contact with her were also
confirmed with the virus.
Australia also announced a
jump in numbers to 17, after a
woman from Brisbane tested
positive after having returned
from the United States.
Health workers in Canber-
ra urged children returning
from visits to virus-affected
countries to stay home for at
least a week to help contain
H1N1’s spread. – Reuters
briefs
Man lodges report over
disqualification
GEORGE TOWN: A man whose nomination
papers for the Penanti by-election were
rejected by the Election Commission (EC)
on Saturday has lodged a police report over
the disqualification.
Mohd Saberi Othman lodged the report
at the Kubang Semang police station on
Sunday as he was dissatisfied that his
nomination papers to stand as an inde-
pendent candidate were rejected by the
EC, Penang deputy police chief Datuk Tun
PKR candidate Dr Mansor Othman shakes hands with a motorcyclist during
his “walkabout” in Kubang Semang, Penanti yesterday.
Hisan Tun Hamzah said.
“The case is being referred to the EC for
further action.
“So far, police have received two reports
concerning the by-election and we hope
the election process will go smoothly,” he
said.
The other report was lodged by inde-
pendent candidate Aminah Abdullah at
the Seberang Perai Tengah district police
headquarters yesterday over an alleged
bribe offered to her to withdraw from the
contest. – Bernama
Don’t incite and slander
others: Police
GEORGE TOWN: Police will stop ceramah
which incite and slander others during
the campaigning for the Penanti by-
election.
Media relations officer Supt Sha-
haron Anuar Abdul Latif said this was
because the parties and candidates
should not contravene the conditions
in the ceramah permits.
“Police will move in and stop ce-
ramah that incite and slander other
people,” he told a press conference here
yesterday.
“They (the parties and candidates)
must refrain from spreading lies. Those
who flout the law will be hauled up
under Section 14 of the Minor Offences
Act 1955 and Section 105 of the Criminal
Procedure Code.”
Shaharon Anuar also said 21 ceramah
have been held, all with police permits,
and that they were conducted in ac-
cordance with the law. – Bernama