Sunday, March 22, 2009

PPPI

Salam Kepada Semua Pembaca Blog Nisa'.


PERMOHONAN PEMBIAYAAN PENGAJIAN PASCA IJAZAH (PPPI)
DI BAWAH PAKEJ RANGSANGAN EKONOMI KEDUA
KEMENTERIAN PENGAJIAN TINGGI MALAYSIA

Permohonan adalah dipelawa kepada graduan-graduan yang belum mendapat pekerjaan tetap atau pekerja-pekerja yang diberhentikan kerja untuk menyambung pengajian di peringkat ijazah lanjutan di IPTA, Universiti Multimedia (MMU), Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) dan Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP).

SYARAT-SYARAT PERMOHONAN

A)CALON-CALON YANG TIDAK LAYAK
i) Calon-calon yang tidak memenuhi syarat-syarat kelayakan umum dan khusus yang ditetapkan.
ii) Mempunyai pekerjaan tetap atau berpendapatan tetap.
B) SYARAT - SYARAT UMUM:
i) Terbuka kepada Warganegara Malaysia yang sedang atau memulakan pengajian dalam tahun 2009 dan 2010 sahaja.
ii) Berumur tidak melebihi 35 tahun bagi calon peringkat sarjana dan 43 tahun bagi calon peringkat PhD pada tarikh memulakan pengajian.
iii) Pengajian adalah secara sepenuh masa.
iv) Pembiayaan diberikan setelah menerima surat tawaran dan mendaftar sebagai pelajar ijazah lanjutan di mana-mana IPTA dan IPTS terbabit.
v) Tidak menerima sebarang bentuk penajaan dari lain-lain penaja (kecuali pinjaman pelajaran atau elaun pembantu penyelidik siswazah).
vi) Tiada ikatan perjanjian dengan pihak lain.
vii) Tiada ikatan kontrak yang akan dikenakan dan pembiayaan ini tidak bermaksud untuk pemohon berkhidmat dengan pihak Kerajaan selepas tamat pengajian kelak.
C) SYARAT - SYARAT KHUSUS:
i) Mempunyai kelayakan Ijazah Sarjana Muda sekurang-kurangnya CGPA 2.75 atau setaraf dengannya bagi pengajian peringkat sarjana dan berkelayakan sarjana yang baik bagi pengajian peringkat Ph.D.
ii) Bagi calon-calon yang mempunyai kelayakan Ijazah Sarjana Muda dengan CGPA di bawah 2.75 atau setaraf, pengalaman kerja dalam bidang yang berkaitan akan dipertimbangkan.
D)TEMPOH TAJAAN
Ph.D - maksimum lapan (8) semester
Sarjana – maksimum empat (4) semester
Yuran akan dibayar terus kepada pihak universiti.


KAEDAH PERMOHONAN
Permohonan boleh dibuat secara online melalui laman web KPT mulai 19 Mac 2009.

PERTANYAAN
Untuk sebarang pertanyaan, sila hubungi :
UNIT BIASISWABAHAGIAN BIASISWAKEMENTERIAN PENGAJIAN TINGGI
Tel. : 03-8884 4607 / 4612 / 4669 / 4634 / 4618Faks : 03-8884 4701

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Krisis Ekonomi - Adakah Anda Terkena Tempiasnya?

Salam Kepada Semua Pembaca Setia Blog Nisa',


Krisis ekonomi?



Setelah krisis sekitar 1997 - 1998, pasti ramai antara kita tidak menyangka krisis ekonomi yang melanda negara kita akan kembali terutama ketika kita asyik dibuai arus dunia, berbelanja dengan selesa, tidak menyedari krisis "sub-prime mortgage" yang telah bermula di Amerika Syarikat akan tersebar ke Malaysia.

Pemimpin Negara terus menerus cuba meyakinkan kita bahawa kita masih selamat, hanya tempias yg kita rasakan. Namun kesannya tidak seperti yang disangka. Malaysia yang banyak bergantung pada hasil eksportnya kini telah melangkah ke alam krisis setelah permintaan eksport dunia menjunam mendadak, perbelanjaan pengguna berkurangan, hampir keseluruhan ekonomi dunia mengalami kemelesetan dan hasilnya ratusan ribu di negara kita telah/akan kehilangan pekerjaan dan sumber kewangan (dijangka pada tahun ini sehingga 200,000 rakyat Malaysia akan dibuang kerja terutama yang bekerja di sektor perindustrian dan perkilangan).

Nisa' Malaysia prihatin terhadap keadaan sahabat-sahabat Nisa' yang mungkin telah kehilangan pekerjaan atau mengalami masalah kewangan.

Oleh itu Webnisa akan cuba bawakan kepada sahabat-sahabat secara berterusan "survival tips" dan"financial management tips" yang dapat membantu sahabat-sahabat menghadapi krisis ekonomi yang melanda Malaysia ketika ini.

Sebagai permulaan:




1. Webnisa prihatin. Kongsikan dengan kami dan pembaca Blog Nisa' mengenai pengalaman anda menempuhi krisis ekonomi ini dan tips yang dapat dimanfaatkan bersama oleh semua pembaca. Hantarkan kepada kami di: webnisa@gmail.com
2. Ikuti artikel di bawah.
3. Kembalilah kepada Allah SWT tatkala kita diuji oleh Nya. Firman Allah SWT:
"Allah tidak memberati seseorang melainkan apa yang terdaya olehnya. Ia mendapat pahala kebaikan yang diusahakannya, dan ia juga menanggung dosa kejahatan yang diusahakannya...."(2:286)

Salam sayang
Webnisa'
................................................................................

Staying ahead in tough times

The Edge, Written by Norzuhaira Ruhanie


Three financial aspects to look into as we head into tough times.

Masinah Abdullah, 48, gets most of her income from her small catering and baking business. The single mother of four also sews clothes and provides alteration services.“Usually, my customers would ask me to alter new clothes but nowadays I receive many requests to repair and alter old clothes that are still in good condition,” says Masinah. Although she works from home, Masinah is relieved that the price of petrol is going down but says she is still struggling to keep her costs down as she does not want to charge her customers too much for her catering services. She expects the next 12 months to be hard but her personal cash flow to see her through.

There is much to do this year, and strengthening your financial status is one of them. While Malaysia is expected to escape a recession, the economic situation is expected to stay tough and the challenge for all individuals would be in ensuring that they are not hit by a personal credit crunch. Here are three areas to look at to stay financially stronger in tough times.

1. Review your goals
Financial experts say the first thing to do is review your financial goals and decide if you can stick with them or revise certain targets to suit your current needs. “You need to know where you are and where you want to get to. Taking the time to set challenging but realistic goals is vital,” says Rajen Devadason, a Securities Commission-licensed financial planner with MAAKL Mutual Bhd.Rajen, who is also CEO of RD Wealth Creation Sdn Bhd, adds that long-term goals may remain unchanged but personal cash levels should be increased. He expects a “cash is king” environment in increasing measure over the next six to 15 months.

Ben Ng, a trainer with Total Financial Planning Advisory Sdn Bhd, says the decision to revise certain goals very much depends on a person’s in-flow of income, which, for many, comes from their jobs. “As an employee, you need to ensure that you are not easily replaceable, by improving your efficiency and multitasking to suit the company’s needs.”

When looking out for investment opportunities, says Rajen, take advantage of any sharp dips in the equity, bond and property markets to buy great assets that generate cash flow by way of dividends, distributions, coupons and rent. However, it is imperative that the buying is done largely out of current cash flow surpluses and not by depleting capital too quickly, he adds. “If the crisis turns out to be longer than expected, say 18 to 24 more months, then savvy individuals don’t want to end up having to use up all their ‘bullets’ way too early in this downturn,” Rajen explains. “I believe that in the next 12 months, there will be a tremendous transfer of wealth from the impatient and the unprepared to the patient and super well-prepared.”


2. Spend less, save more
If cash is king, then you need to bring yourself into a stronger position. Reduce spending, work much harder to generate larger incomes and therefore get significantly larger cash surpluses, build large savings buffers and invest slowly and carefully over the long haul, says Rajen.

“Ways to reduce spending could include eliminating consumer debt by paying off all credit card balances and deferring any unnecessary lumpy purchases that are not wealth-generating… like a new car if the old one is still functional,” he says. Indeed, Malaysians are continuing to save, according to MasterCard in a recent survey. Ninety-three percent of Malaysians polled said saving was important. The credit card company reported that one in three consumers in Asia is looking to save more than 20% of their income over the next 12 months.
Masinah says she has adequate savings for her family. “My eldest is now working, so he helps with expenses.” She paid off her home loan about a year ago and now uses the surplus money for investments in government-guaranteed savings certificates and unit trust funds. She discusses with her children ways to reduce their expenses and takes small steps such as building a compost pile, growing a small vegetable garden and replacing all the light bulbs in the house with energy-saving versions.

The goal, says Rajen, should be to “try and get to the point of being able to save and invest 40% to 50% of your net income, apart from EPF, which is forced savings and which should continue at the maximum allowable rate.“The only way to create investment capital is to spend less than you earn and to carefully allocate your savings toward the emergency buffer, normal savings and well-chosen investments.”

Most Malaysians, says Ng, have been controlling their spending due to hikes in the price of many consumer goods. Look at avenues to increase your take-home income, he adds. “See if you can earn extra income doing what you already doing, but in your own time. If you are a tax consultant, for example, you could ask your boss for a commission if you secure clients outside your working hours.”


3. Have your emergency buffer
Have been putting off building an emergency buffer? While it is always important to have one, uncertain times means it is all the more crucial. The fund, says Rajen, should be between three and six months’ expenses for an employee and six to 12 months for a self-employed individual. “If you don’t have the buffer in place, your savings allocation should go into an emergency fund until it reaches the target size, based on your circumstances.”

To ensure maximum safety, the money should “be kept super safe in bank savings accounts, fixed deposit accounts and money market funds that do not have any bond component,” he adds.Project manager Mohd Azlan Masood Azlan has about a month’s worth of expenses in his emergency fund but he’s trying to get the level up to six months soon. He has been paring his credit card debt and plans to cancel cards that have yearly fees and move towards those that offer cash rebates and/or discounts in addition to rewards points. He is also trimming some of his investments in equities, although he may look into buying them should there be opportunities. He may increase his investment in unit trust funds, focusing on commodities and equities. “Being an investor who dollar-cost-averages, this is the time to buy, when units are cheap,” he says. 

This article appeared in Issue 89 (January 2009) of Personal Money, the personal finance magazine published by The Edge Communications Sdn Bhd

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Prophet Muhammad: A Prophet Betrayed

Source: IslamiCity.com
http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=IC0903-3823



Every year around 12 Rabi ul Awwal, the Muslim world once again wakes up from its slumber and starts the ritual of praises of Prophet Muhammad . Articles are published and speeches are delivered focusing on every aspect of the Prophet's life.


People are inspired by the character and the wisdom reflected in his actions. Yet memory is short lived and after a few days of celebrations, he is once again forgotten only to be remembered during the Friday sermons and an occasional gathering.


The day of the Prophet's birth should be a day of joy where we can all produce results for a better humanity as a sign of our commitment to him.


Within a short span of 23 years, Prophet Muhammad succeeded in establishing a state run by a community that had disciplined itself in following the eternal principles of justice and equality in all aspects of life. In an age where mass communication was by word of mouth only, the mission of one Prophet had become the call of over a million people.


During his life time, the Prophet motivated a whole generation of people on the basis of the divine teachings and his character. Only 24 years after the death of the Prophet, believers, who were expelled from their own homeland, now extended from North Africa to Central Asia including present day Afghanistan.


We take great pride in recounting heroic tales of Islamic battles, but we must remember that the Prophet spent less than 20 hours in battles which cost less than 500 casualties, nearly half of them Muslims. Yet he brought a peaceful world in existence where slavery was abolished, persecution of women was stopped and divisions on the basis of one's creed and color or status were destroyed.


He stood up for the rights of the neglected and marginalized and showed the utmost respect to those ordinary men and women who used legitimate means to earn their livelihood in a manner sanctioned by the divine guidance.


He was commissioned by the All Mighty to instill in humanity respect for character, sincerity and labor of all people. He worked to establish a culture where human resources would not be exploited by the powerful to serve their tribal and political interests. He visualized a world where people would rise about their sectarian and racial differences to identify with the concept of oneness of humanity.


He wanted the bloodshed in the name of religion and tribalism to come to an end. He wanted people to accept the differences they inherited. He promoted the idea of free will and free inquiry in determining one's own course of life. His plea was simple. Every human being has the capacity to discover his humanity to create a better environment for each and every human being and to live a dignified life.


Some 1419 years after his physical departure from the world, the number of those who love him has increased by millions and the number of those who are willing to die for him has also multiplied. But not many are there to live for him and live according to his teachings.


Against his teachings, the Umma is divided on sectarian lines, shia, sunnis, hanafis, shafais, malikis, tablighis, barelveis, deobandis and others. Every sect wants to own him and claims that it is following his path.


The Prophet was neither Shia or Sunni, shafai, or hanafi or Ismaili or Bori. Where is the sense of loyalty to him? What happened to his teachings that reminded people that you are one people and if one suffers than the others feel the pain. On the contrary, those who swear by his name take pride in killing each other in his name. If one just looks at the past 20 years, various sects and parties of Muslims have killed each other in millions and their leadership promises them a guaranty of paradise. How do these people celebrate the Prophet when they cannot even overcome their petty sectarianism? How do these people celebrate the Prophet when they are promoting bloodshed of the innocent?


With the example of his personal life, the Prophet encouraged a peaceful family life where love and compassion would dominate the behavior among spouses. Yet more than 40 percent Muslim women suffer from some kind of domestic violence. There are more than quarter of a million women who are bought and sold in black market all over the world every year by all kind of people including Muslims who claim their loyalty to Prophet Muhammad . How do these people identify with his life when they are violating every principle that he stood for?


The Prophet inspired the aspect of justice when he urged believers to give a labor his wages before his sweat is dried. But what an irony that the people who build mosques in his name, and monuments to civilizations give little concern to the rights of the laborer.


As the Umma of Prophet Muhammad we must take stock of our actions and make sure we work to build a model character within our selves and our families.


"By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), - Verily Man is in loss, - Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy"(103:1-3)


We should understand that his struggles and his teachings were not only meant to be marveled during public meetings but to be lived in every day life. The true respect to the Prophet is when the principles that he stood for are lived by his followers. Otherwise, whatever we say and do will be nothing more than a ritual.


The fact that the Prophet was chosen by the Divine to communicate His message for the last time to humanity should remind us of our responsibility to humanity.


Let us remember the Prophet by striving within ourselves to build a model character.


"You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in God and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of God"(33:21)


Dr. Aslam Abdullah is editor of the Detroit based English weekly, Muslim Observer, director of the Islamic Society of Nevada, Las Vegas and the recently elected General Secretary of the World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relation.

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