KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor wants Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) to produce future entrepreneurs, especially among Sabah students in oil and gas (O&G) field.

This was only apt since UMS was currently producing graduates in the O&G field, he said, when meeting with UMS Board of Directors Chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan and Vice Chancellor Prof. Datuk Dr Taufiq Yap Yun Hin at his office in the State Administrative Centre (PPNS), Monday.

Abdul Rahman said the courtesy call was to inform Hajiji of his appointment as one of the two Pro Chancellors of UMS replacing former CM Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.

The Chief Minister was informed that the appointment letter would be presented by the Head of State soon.

Abdul Rahman said the other Pro Chancellor was Tan Sri Azman Hashim who is the Chairman of Arab Malaysian Bank.

Abdul Rahman and Dr Taufiq also briefed Hajiji on the latest developments and challenges faced by UMS such as students’ housing and the status of UMS Smart Hospital building that has been delayed due to the pandemic. 

At the same time, UMS was offering the State Government expertise in research particularly on the economy, policies amongst others.

Abdul Rahman also expressed UMS’ keenness to work with the State Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry as its science and technology advisor.

Since all universities have been given autonomy to be self-sufficient, he said he believed UMS and the State Government could explore possible collaborations in many fields.

Source: https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/165783/ums-told-tap-oil-and-gas-role-/ 

KOTA KINABALU: Covid-19 vaccine recipients still have to abide by the standard operating procedures (SOP) after they get the full two doses of the inoculation.

Universiti Sabah Malaysia family medicine consultant Associate Professor Dr Mohd Nazri Mohd Daud said such measures were meant for the safety not just of themselves but the people around them.

"The vaccine administered is meant to activate the immunity system in the body to fight or prevent diseases, which leads to preventing the spread of the virus.

"Although the clinical data has stated (as much as) 95 per cent of vaccine effectiveness against Covid-19 virus, it is better if the SOP are obeyed," he said, adding the virus is still considered new and complex and requires long-term data collection.

Dr Nazri was speaking during a virtual Covid-19 Education and Health series that was broadcast in the varsity's Facebook page and YouTube Channel.

He added that those with high risk of being exposed to Covid-19 are encouraged to get the vaccine when it is available in the country soon.

"Even though the production period for the vaccine is short, those products from companies such as Pfizer and BioNTech had undergone preclinical and third phase clinical trials as well as data collection that showed high effectiveness.

"The vaccine is crucial and without it the community will have to live (battling) the pandemic for a long time," he added.

The four categories that have to be prioritised in vaccination include frontliners, senior citizens, those with chronic diseases as well as those who need protection such as expecting and nursing mothers.

Source: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/01/660971/expert-follow-covid-19-sop-even-after-vaccination

KOTA KINABALU: The group of students from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Medicine and Health Sciences Faculty (FPSK) continue to shine in international competitions.

Fresh from winning runner-up in the recent North Borneo International Intervarsity Open: The Alcohol Debate, the ABBA team emerged champions in the Novice category of the Asia Pacific Quiz Championship (AQC) 2020.

The team comprising second year medical students Nurul Firzanah Mohd Darwis, Kuhaneshvaren Elanggovan, Sim Si Ming and Jivanarajahn Rajendra Kumar defeated Aakhir Q from Singapore, while another Malaysian team, The Goal Diggers grabbed the top spot.

“ABBA excelled in the competition by maintaining an unbeaten record, beating there teams from India and Malaysia in the qualifying round, before winning over another Malaysian team in the semi-finals to secure a place in the final,” said UMS in a statement, Sunday.

Commending their feat, FPSK Dean Prof Dr Mohammad Saffree Jeffree said this showed that UMS medical students have high level of knowledge and are able to turn it into good achievement in world-class quiz competitions.

AQC that started in 2012 is an annual competition and involves participants from Asia Pacific such as Singapore, the Philippines, India, Australia and New Zealand.

The competition was supposed to take place here which was chosen as the host this year, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was held online. This year, the competition was also divided into two categories – Pro and Novice.

Source: https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news/164237/ums-victorious-at-regional-quiz/

KOTA KINABALU: A local political analyst remains positive that the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) alliance is the key to political success in the state.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) senior lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dr Lee Kuok Tiung said GRS has become a unified platform for Perikatan Nasional (PN), Barisan Nasional (BN) and Parti Bersatu Sabah.

"We have seen (these political) groups going through difficulties starting with an initial 'friendly match', observed in their challenges in sorting out seat distributions. Later on, we saw it in the process of the appointment of Sabah Chief Minister (after the 16th state election).

"I believe what these parties went through made them more mature; and they have built a trust with each other, especially on the importance of mutual understanding and collaboration in the interest of the people.

"We have already heard, a few times, the call from GRS leaders to put aside politicking to focus on helping the rakyat in this turbulent time caused by the Covid-19 pandemic," he told New Straits Times when contacted today.

Lee observed that GRS leaders would do what it takes to defend the alliance despite the tense relationship between Umno and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) in the peninsular.

This was evident through the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Saturday (Jan 9) that was signed by the top leaders of the nine Sabahan political parties that form the GRS-led state government.

The MoU, among other things, required all of these component parties to maintain the cooperation with each other, while rejecting any interference from anyone who wanted to disturb the political alliance.

The MoU also stressed upon strengthening political ties through discussions and negotiations based on understanding among the parties in GRS.

Lee said if there is anything good to come out of the MoU, it would be a better and solid GRS which was free from political interference from the peninsula.

He described the current political tension in the peninsula as "stable-tension", with seat distribution issues for the 15th General Election (GE15) as a main factor contributing to the strain.

"Sabah Umno has been talking about autonomy since GE14 and they have been granted the autonomy. Thus, this is also an opportunity for Sabah Umno to show to the rakyat they've got the power to decide for the benefit of the people of Sabah."

Meanwhile, Ethno-politics expert Dr Romzi Ationg, however, said he was not convinced with the current political cooperation within GRS despite the recent MoU.

He said any development in peninsula politics would affect GRS should the presidents of Umno and Bersatu make it compulsory for separation of certain matters at the state-level.

"Even if state leaders decide to ignore any directive (as a result of political developments in the peninsula), any disagreement on these issues among Sabahan political leaders will still lead to problems in the state.

"This, for sure, will affect the GRS-led state government. However, I hope all state leaders are interested in consolidating political ties at the state-level for the sake of the people," said Romzi, who is also a senior lecturer at UMS.

He urged all GRS parties to avoid chasing after personal interests, but instead to uphold the interest of the people whenever they faced challenges that could jeopardise the unity within the alliance.

For now, he hoped to see Sabah Umno and Sabah Bersatu holding on to their political autonomy. He also hoped these parties would reject outside interference that could break GRS.

Nonetheless, Romzi said anything could happen in politics, including a possibility of GRS leaders violating the MoU when pressured.

Source: https://www.nst.com.my/news/politics/2021/01/656156/grs-key-political-success-sabah-says-analyst