"Perhatian ibu bapa mampu lahir modal insan hebat" - DYMM Raja Zarith Sofiah

KOTA TINGGI 19 Jan. - Ibu bapa harus memberikan perhatian kepada anak-anak mereka dengan meluangkan masa dan mencurahkan kasih sayang secukupnya agar menepati hasrat melahirkan modal insan yang memacu negara.

Tuanku Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah bertitah, kemajuan sesebuah negara terletak pada generasi baru yang akan menggalas tanggungjawab membawa negara ke peringkat yang lebih tinggi.

"Kemajuan sesebuah negara terletak pada pembangunan aset utama iaitu modal insan. Anak-anak kita adalah modal insan untuk masa depan yang sekali gus menjadi pewaris bagi meneruskan agenda negara.

"Sebagai ibu bapa kita haruslah mengenali kekuatan serta kelemahan anak kita dan memupuk potensi mereka supaya menjadi insan yang berilmu serta berkemahiran," titahnya selepas berkenan merasmikan Seminar Kenali Anak Kita Petronas Zon Selatan , dekat sini hari ini.

Turut hadir adalah Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Penawar, Hamimah Mansor; Naib Presiden dan Pengarah Usahaniaga Kompleks Bersepadu Pengerang, Juniwati Rahmat Hussin dan Yang Dipertua Persatuan Pengasih Malaysia, Mohd. Yunus Pathi.

Seminar yang dihadiri 500 peserta dari tiga buah negeri iaitu Johor, Melaka dan Negeri Sembilan itu dianjurkan oleh Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) dengan kerjasama Persatuan Pengasih Malaysia.

Program yang bermula sejak empat tahun lalu itu bertujuan menggalakkan hubungan sihat dalam kalangan ahli keluarga dan melengkapkan ibu bapa dengan kemahiran, maklumat serta pengetahuan bagi mengesan seterusnya menghalang tingkah laku tidak bermoral anak masing-masing.

Titah baginda lagi, ibu bapa seharusnya membimbing anak-anak mereka supaya mempunyai kekuatan dan ketahanan daripada terpengaruh dengan tingkah laku sosial yang memesongkan.

"Anak kita adalah satu amanah yang dikurniakan oleh tuhan. Mereka ibarat kain yang putih kita ibu bapalah yang akan mencorakkan mereka," titah baginda.

Sementara itu, Juniwati dalam ucapannya berkata, sebagai sebuah badan korporat yang bertanggungjawab, Petronas sentiasa berusaha meningkatkan tanggungjawab sosial korporat (CSR) sekali gus menyumbang ke arah kemakmuran negara dan kesejahteraan masyarakat setempat.

Ujarnya, program berkenaan adalah pendekatan diambil Petronas dan Persatuan Pengasih Malaysia bagi menyokong usaha kerajaan mencapai sebuah masyarakat bebas dadah menjelang 2015.

"Pembinaan jati diri melalui pendidikan dan keseimbangan sosial adalah mustahak dalam pembentukan sebuah negara dan bangsa," katanya.

Tweet

Selamat Menyambut Ulangtahun Perkahwinan ke-30 kepada DYMM Tuanku Sultan Ibrahim dan DYMM Tuanku Raja Zarith Sofiah.

Majlis akad nikah berlangsung di Masjid Ubudiah, Kuala Kangsar pada 19 September 1982. Majlis persandingan berlangsung di Istana Iskandariah, Bukit Chandan, Perak pada 12 September 1983 dan Majlis Persandingan di Johor Bahru pada 19 dan 20 September 1983.

Perkahwinan yang membawa erti yang besar, bukan sahaja kepada kedua mempelai, malah kepada kedua-dua negeri Johor dan Perak.

Selama 2 hari, Isnin dan Selasa rakyat Johor telah menyaksikan satu upacara perkahwinan diraja yang gilang gemilang. Jalan-jalan dan bangunan-bangunan dihiasi dengan bendera serta lampu beraneka warna menjadikan Johor Bahru begitu indah sepanjang dua malam tersebut.

Pelamin dibina ditengah-tengah perkarangan Istana dan dikelilingi astaka untuk raja-raja dan tetamu kehormat. Bagi rakyat yang tidak dapat melihat dari dekat, berpuluh buah televisyen diletakkan di sekeliling istana dan menayangkan upacara yang berlangsung secara terus menerus.

Dengan kecantikan yang dimiliki oleh kedua mempelai, tidak hairanlah ramai menganggap bahawa pasangan diraja ini tidak kalah jika dibandingkan dengan pasangan diraja Britain, Putera Charles dan Puteri Diana.

Tweet

Memories of Our Mother

In a recently launched book, Zaharah Othman sees her mother in each and every personality portrayed

Raja Zarith captures memories of her late mother in the 

pages of the book

“Treasure every second of being with your mother: Inhale the fragrance of her hair, the smell of her skin, enjoy hearing her voice and her sighs, capture her smile and put it in your heart.”

The young Raja Zarith with her mother,
Raja Muzwin Raja Ariff Shah

THAT was the message I received when I expressed regret that I couldn’t attend the launch of the book, Memories Of Our Mothers.

The sender understood how precious every moment was that I spent with my ailing mother, hours before my departure for London. The sender was Tuanku Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah, patron as well as one of the contributors in the 176-page book. Indeed she was also the initiator of the project which brought together 29 daughters who captured the essence of their mothers between the pages of the coffee table book, complete with black and white pictures of yesteryear and heart-wrenching and warm anecdotes and poems.

Raja Zarith, consort of the Sultan of Johor, lost her mother, Raja Muzwin Raja Ariff Shah, in October last year and, prior to and after this sad event in her life, we communicated a lot about our mothers, about how we cared for them, and about how we wanted to capture these memories to be treasured forever.

As a frequently absent daughter, I had documented memories of my mother in my blog as well as in short video clips, which I watched regularly through tear-stained eyes back in London.

“After sharing the pain and anguish with other friends I suggested to Datin Halimah Mohd Said that perhaps we could all write about our own mothers,” said Raja Zarith who wrote that her mother wove a thread of love around them “so strong that it not only bound us to each other but also to our own families”.

With educationist and now citizen journalist Halimah at the helm as the project coordinator, Memories Of Our Mothers  took shape. Published by MPH, it was launched last week at PJ Hilton in Petaling Jaya.

Contributing writers included retired professor Loga Baskaran who wrote about her mother Leilavathy Mahesan, the counsellor and confidante who saw to it that family life did not stop her from achieving her ambitions; Elly Tan Sha Meng, who shared the positive attitude, determination and resilience of her mother Goh Soh Kheng, when faced with challenges that life threw at her; and writer Nora Marzuki who inherited wit and talent from her multi-talented mother

The writer, seated second from right, with Mak
(centre, in white) and the rest of the family

Nong Othman, who not only sewed and cooked but also played the accordion, piano and drums as as well as danced the tango!

There were beautiful and touching accounts from Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar and her sister Zainah, from Rose Ismail, chairman of Salt Media Group, and the Ali sisters — Aishah, Saleha and Datuk Zainun — and many more.

The result must have been therapeutic and a catharsis for those involved, and indeed, for those reading the book.

I read Memories Of Our Mothers as we cruised over 10,000m in the sky, frequently turning away to the clouds to hide my tears. By the time we reached Dubai, I saw my mother in each and every personality portrayed in the book.

True, my mother never stepped foot in a classroom and could only spell Y-U-N, her name. Her English vocabulary consists of only Yes, No and Alright, but she managed three holidays in London. Now our pillar of strength is reduced to bones and skin but she is there in every chapter of the book.

I see her in Habsah Abang Saufi’s description of her mum who looked after her when she was ill with cancer. “I should be the one who is ill, not you”, the matriarch of the big family had said, echoing my own Mak's words whenever we fell ill. Indeed, when I was revising for exams, Mak would stay up make me coffee and sandwiches, and would say: “If only I can take the exams for you!”

The writer’s Mak in her prime

From the north, Mak is the only surviving child of Hajjah Wan Mohd Saman, a strict disciplinarian who suffered no fools and showed very little love to all around her. I often wondered where Mak got her abundance of love that she showered on her siblings from another mother. To this day, her siblings remain at her bedside, holding her hand and reading her prayers. But it was Tok, the perfectionist, who taught her the art of sewing clothes, supplementing the family income by making baju raya and selling cakes to make ends meet.

Looking after Tok during her final years, Mak showed admirable loyalty and strength and love. Each night she would tie her mother’s hands, while profusely apologising, “Minta ampun, Mak, Minta ampun, Mak!” to prevent her from scratching her bedsores.

When Tok passed away, and with Pak gone, Mak’s energy ebbed to a level we never knew possible. She reluctantly left the big house that Pak built for her in Alor Setar, to live with her children in Bangi where she was doted on by her children, sons-in-law and grandchildren. She is, to this day, showered with hugs and kisses every time they walk in and out of the house.

But in her twilight years, she only yearned to be in one place — the house that Pak built for her. Being ferried and flown there lessened her pangs of missing the house that used to be filled with bantering and laughter. And she misses Pak, the dashing clerk from the land office whom she married, who transported her from the village where she grew up, to live in town.

But on her last trip there, she couldn't even recognise the place or the flower garden she used to tend to.

Our beloved Mak, Hajjah Yun Hanafi

Sitting around Mak after reading her yassin, her siblings recalled her kindness and generosity - and recounted how Mak saved a young British soldier from the Japanese, how she held a tight rein around her loved ones and how she endured hardship but still had enough to go around.

Spending days and nights watching her, helping to bathe and feed her, I sometimes felt the urge to yank out the cancer raging in her. But never, not once, did I hear her moan with pain. The pain was only etched on her face as she clenched her teeth, until it ebbed.

One night, I sat up, watching her motionless body, and I had the urge to put a finger to her nose to see if she was still breathing. The last time I did this was when I was 5.

On this trip, Mak didn’t recognise me or any of her children. She mentioned our names but she couldn't tell who we were, unlike my trip last year, made possible by Raja Zarith who wanted me to spend Hari Raya with my mother. This act of kindness afforded me many wonderful memories of Mak: Witty and fun, jovial and sporting to the core.

Asking for her forgiveness and blessings for every drop of milk that she fed me, I wrenched myself away, and this was made possible only by her sweet smile and the caress of her soft hand on my face. And I took with me the memories and the sweet fragrance of lavender powder on her skin, which will forever be in my heart.

'MEMORIES OF OUR MOTHERS' BOOK LAUNCH

PETALING JAYA: Consort of the Sultan of Johor, Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah, launched a book entitled Memories of Our Mothers recently.

Raja Zarith decided to write the book with 28 other women after her own mother, Raja Muzwin Raja Ariff Shah passed away last year.

The other writers comprised professionals, homemakers, activists and retirees including Datin Mariam Kadir, Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar, Datuk Zainun Ali and Datin Halimah Mohd Said.

The launching ceremony was held at Hilton PJ, attended by prominent guests who included Raja Nahzatul Shima Sultan Idris Shah, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, Tun Dr Ahmad Sarji, Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah, MPH Group of Companies chief executive officer Ng Tieh Chuan and members of the royal family.

Published by MPH Group Publishing, Memories Of Our Mothers is available at all major bookstores.  

Synopsis:
To lose someone we love deeply is a traumatic experience. We can never be fully prepared for the sadness and grief that follows. Sometimes the void lingers forever and we learn to cope in different ways.


While the loss of a parent is devastating, that of a mother is heart-wrenching. In losing her mother, a woman loses the most important influence in her life. She loses the provider and nourisher—of love and understanding, of patience and equanimity, of family bonding and togetherness, of all the nurturing values that imbue her being. The grief of losing her mother is very hard for a woman to bear.


Memories of Our Mothers is a collection of poignant writings by a group of women on their thoughts and feelings at the loss of their mothers. By chronicling their experiences, they hope to share them with other women who are undergoing and will undergo the same journey. 

Author Name: HRH Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah

Tweet

Pantau anak layari internet

afzan@bharian.com.my
2010/07/17

Raja Zarith risau belia cari maklumat di blog tanpa kesahihan

KUALA LUMPUR: Naluri keibuan jelas bertakhta di hati isteri Sultan Johor, Raja Zarith Sofia Sultan Idris apabila meluahkan kegusaran hatinya terhadap kecenderungan generasi muda yang gemar merujuk blog bagi mendapatkan maklumat berhubung sesuatu perkara tanpa tapisan. Berkongsi rasa hati sebagai ibu, beliau mengakui perlu menerima perubahan dalam teknologi maklumat, termasuk blog dan internet, tetapi perlu ada pemantauan, supaya tidak terpengaruh dengan perkara negatif yang mungkin terkandung di dalamnya. 


Walaupun Raja Zarith Sofia kurang sihat serta keletihan berjumpa ramai rakyat sejak akhir-akhir ini, jiwanya tetap kelihatan bersemangat membicarakan isu remaja serta kanak-kanak yang sentiasa menjadi perhatiannya sejak dulu. 

Masih serius membincangkan hal itu, beliau sempat makan ubat dan beberapa kali meneguk air suam terletak atas meja sisi sofanya. Kebimbangan itu semakin menebal apabila memikirkan segelintir orang muda yang menerima bulat-bulat maklumat dibaca lantaran cetek ilmu pengetahuan.

Katanya, sebagai ibu mempunyai anak remaja, beliau dan suami, Sultan Ibrahim selalu mengingatkan anakanda mengenai batas dalam melayari internet dan itulah juga yang sepatutnya dilakukan oleh ibu bapa lain.

“Saya juga gemar melayari internet dan mendapati saban hari, boleh dikatakan ada 100 blog baru. Bagi wanita, ada blog untuk kecantikan dan fesyen, manakala lelaki pula ada sukan golf dan sebagainya... tetapi biarlah pemilihan itu kita tapis juga. Saya lihat ada sesetengah blog yang bukan saja tidak bertapis, malah penggunaan bahasanya amat kasar. 

“Saya fikir generasi muda pula tidak seharusnya menerima 100 peratus apa yang dipaparkan, sebaliknya bertanya atau selidik dulu sesuatu perkara yang mungkin anda fikir maklumatnya tidak tepat,” katanya.

Kata-kata itu adalah lontaran peribadi Raja Zarith Sofia memulakan bicara pada awal perbualan ketika pertemuan Pengarang Urusan Kumpulan New Straits Times (NSTP), Datuk Zainul Arifin Mohammed Isa; Pengarang Kumpulan Berita Harian Sdn Bhd (BHSB), Datuk Mior Kamarul Shahid dan Pengarang Wanita, Fadzlena Jafar di sini, semalam.

Pertemuan selama kira-kira sejam setengah itu menyingkap sisi penyayang dan keprihatinan beliau terhadap isu yang melanda pada masa kini, khususnya membabitkan generasi muda yang bakal mewarisi kepemimpinan masa depan.

Ditanya mengenai blog peribadi, beliau mengakui berminat untuk menulis blog, tetapi tidak berkesempatan untuk melakukannya.

Kelihatan lembut mengenakan baju kurung rona kuning dan dipadankan selendang hijau serindit serta sentiasa menguntumkan senyuman pada bibirnya, jelas terpancar citra wanita dan wajah keibuannya.

Raja Zarith Sofia hadir ke ibu kota selama dua hari sempena seminar Kesan Globalisasi kepada Masyarakat Muslim Kontemporari anjuran Institut Antarabangsa Kajian Tinggi Islam (IAIS) yang berlangsung kelmarin. Pada seminar itu, Raja Zarith Sofia turut menyampaikan ucaptama bertajuk Globalisasi: Membina Hubungan Antara Islam dan Barat.

Selain itu, Raja Zarith Sofia turut menegaskan pentingnya masyarakat menguasai bahasa Inggeris yang menjadi bahasa perantara utama dan terbitan sumber ilmu termasuk sains, teknologi dan agama.

Katanya, kegagalan menguasai bahasa Inggeris akan menjadi penghalang usaha menuntut ilmu dan mendapatkan rujukan.

“Bahan rujukan berbentuk keagamaan yang bagus seperti penulisan Imam Ghazali hanya didapati dalam bahasa Inggeris, tidak dalam bahasa Melayu. Justeru, sekiranya individu tidak dapat menguasai bahasa Inggeris, ia bagaikan satu halangan menambahkan ilmu. Samalah juga dengan ilmu yang lain, termasuk sains dan teknologi,” katanya.

Tweet

HSA terima sumbangan RM345,000

RAJA Zarith Sofiah menyerahkan mesin bantuan pernafasan atau ventilator kepada HSA sambil diperhatikan oleh Robia Kosai (tiga dari kiri) di Johor Bahru.

JOHOR BAHRU 10 Feb. - Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) menerima peralatan perubatan bernilai RM345,000 hasil sumbangan empat agensi dan syarikat korporat di sini semalam.

Sumbangan oleh Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Johor (MAINJ), Johor Corporation (JCorp), syarikat penerbangan tambang murah, AirAsia dan Jawatankuasa Khidmat Masyarakat Kebangsaan Persatuan Bulan Sabit Merah Malaysia (PBSM) itu disampaikan oleh Tuanku Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah.

Pengarah HSA, Dr. Rooshaimi Merican A. Rahim Merican mengucapkan jutaan terima kasih kepada pihak terlibat atas keprihatinan terhadap keperluan hospital tersebut dengan menyalurkan bantuan berkenaan.

Menurutnya, pihak hospital bertuah kerana menerima tiga buah mesin bantuan pernafasan atau ventilator, dua unit syringe pump, komputer dan enam unit troli.

"Kesemua sumbangan ini amat bermakna kepada HSA kerana peralatan berkenaan dapat dimanfaatkan oleh pesakit di Unit Rawatan Rapi (ICU), Wad kanak-kanak serta Jabatan Kecemasan dan Trauma," katanya semasa ditemui pada majlis penyerahan sumbangan itu di Dewan Kenangan HSA di sini.

Menurutnya, sumbangan itu sedikit sebanyak dapat menampung keperluan sedia ada sekali gus memberi bantuan lebih baik kepada pesakit apatah lagi bilang pesakit kian bertambah.

Terdahulu, Tuanku Raja Zarith Sofiah turut melawat dan menyampaikan bungkusan makanan sumbangan Hotel Thistle kepada kira-kira 120 pesakit di Wad Kanak-kanak.

Turut hadir, Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat dan Kesihatan negeri, Dr. Robia Kosai; Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Agama negeri, Datuk Zainal Abidin Osman serta Pengerusi dan Ketua Eksekutif JCorp, Kamaruzzaman Abu Kassim.

Tweet

Raja Zarith brings cheer to Sultanah Aminah Hospital

The visit came with donations of medical equipment as well as gifts for children in the paediatric ward

Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah visiting patients at the paediatric ward.

JOHOR’S oldest general hospital, the Sultanah Aminah Hospital (SAH), recently received RM345,000 worth of medical equipment from the Sultan of Johor’s consort, Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah.

   Raja Zarith donated three respiratory facilitators while Johor Corporation (JCorp), States Religious Affairs Council, AirAsia and the Malaysian Red Crescent’ Public Service Committee donated syringe pumps, computers and transport trolleys.

 Sultanah Aminah Hospital director Dr Rooshaimi Merican, who received the equipment on behalf of the hospital, said the management was honoured to have Raja Zarith Sofiah grace the hospital with her presence and also for her contributions.

    She said that the donations in the form of equipment made by corporate bodies and agencies would contribute to faster and smoother services provided by the hospital.

  She added that the equipment donated by Raja Zarith would be used in SAH’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the nursery in the ICU and the Paediatric Ward. Some of the other donations would  be stationed at the Emergency and Trauma Department.

  “We have recorded an increase in the number of patients, so the donations are timely and will definitely benefit the patients,” Dr Rooshaimi said during a simple ceremony held at the hospital’s Kenanga Hall here.

   Raja Zarith, who later visited children admitted into the paediatric ward, handed each of the 120 children RM10 ang pow packets and goodie bags sponsored by Thistle Hotel Johor Baru comprising apples, mineral water, sandwiches, muffins, sausages and nuggets.

   Also present during the ceremony were State Women, Family, Health and Community Development chairman Dr Robia Kosai, State Religious Affairs Committee chairman Datuk Zainal Abidin Osman, and JCorp chief executive officer Kamaruzzaman Abu Kassim.

Tweet