Memori Kuala Besut

Tugasan mengetuai pasukan Bernama untuk liputan Pilihan Raya Kecil Kuala Besut meninggalkan kenangan manis bagi Editor Meja Berita, Perkhidmatan Berita Dalam Negeri Haji Khairdzir Yunus.

Beroperasi di sebuah resort yang baru dibuka, para petugas dari ibu pejabat yang membantu beliau ialah dua Penolong Editor Leslean Arshad dan Harlina Samson serta wartawan Mohd Yusof Saari, Mohd Faizal Hassan, Salawaty Supardi dan Siti Salwa Shaari serta jurufoto Mahayuddin Mohammad.

Kehadiran mereka bertujuan memperkasakan tenaga Biro Terengganu yang diketuai Amrizan Madian dan wartawan Ahmad Erwan Othman serta jurufoto Arjasneh Ahmad.

Dua orang stringer Biro Kuala Terengganu Nur Fazlizai Ali dan Cikgu Nodin Mahadi serta petugas teknikal Rosamiza Omar  turut membantu.

"Liputan Bernama untuk pilihan raya kecil kerusi DUN Kuala Besut ini boleh dikatakan antara liputan yang terbaik berbanding beberapa pilihan raya kecil sebelum ini.

"Semua isu diliputi malah keputusan tidak rasmi juga dapat dihantar sebelum proses penjumlahan undi bermula. Keputusan rasmi pula dihantar sebaik sahaja diumumkan oleh Pegawai Pengurus Pilihan Raya tanpa sebarang masalah," kata  Khairdzir.

Penamaan calon diadakan pada 12 Julai manakala pengundian pada 

24 Julai lalu.

Barisan Nasional (BN) berjaya mempertahankan kerusi itu apabila calonnya   Tengku Zaihan Che Ku Abd Rahman, seorang jurutera mengalahkan calon PAS Endot @ Azlan Yusof, seorang peniaga dengan kelebihan 2,592 undi majoriti.

Tengku Zaihan memperoleh 8,288 undi manakala Azlan 5,696 undi daripada sejumlah 14,108 yang telah menunaikan tanggungjawab masing-masing atau kira-kira 80 peratus daripada 17,683 pengundi berdaftar di DUN Kuala Besut.

PRK itu diadakan selepas berlaku kekosongan akibat kematian ADUN-nya Dr A Rahman Mokhtar pada 26 Jun lalu.

"Semua liputan berjalan lancar dan pasukan Bernama telah menunjukkan semangat bekerja secara "teamwork" yang sangat baik,” kata Khairdzir.

Operasi liputan Bernama berakhir secara rasminya pada Jumaat, 25 Julai 2013 dengan berita rangkuman dan analisis mengenai PRK yang telah berlangsung dan satu berita mengenai wakil rakyat yang baharu memulakan tugas hari pertamanya.

Kuala Besut, yang menghadap Laut Cina Selatan, tidak hanya menambat hati kerana keindahan pemandangannya tetapi juga kehidupan penduduknya.

Selain makanannya murah dan enak, dialek penduduk yang bersempadan dengan Kelantan itu menarik perhatian Khairdzir.

"Tempat penginapan di Tanjung Demong Beach Resort juga selesa dan memuaskan, ada sahur disediakan dan terletak di tepi pantai Teluk Demong yang memberikan ketenangan suasana santai seolah-olah kita bekerja dalam bercuti," kata beliau.

Lebih menyeronokkan, kata beliau ialah bekerja dalam bulan Ramadan membuatkan suasana kempen tenang dan tidak agresif.

Malah Pengerusi dan Timbalan Pengerusi Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia (SPR) menyifatkan PRK kali ini sebagai PRK yang paling tenang dalam sejarah pilihan raya di negara ini dan harus menjadi ikutan pilihan raya lain pada masa akan datang.

Di Kuala Besut  terdapat dua bazar Ramadan iaitu di Kampung Raja dan di tapak Pasar Tani Kuala Besut yang menawarkan pelbagai masakan khas dan tradisional Kelantan/Terengganu seperti kuih akok, nasi dagang, nasi kerabu, ayam percik, satar dan lain-lain.

Wartawan Salwa dan Salawaty mengakui tiada makanan yang tidak enak yang dibeli di bazar Ramadan itu walaupun makanan itu dipilih secara rambang.

"Lagipun harganya murah, sebagai contoh satu cucuk satar yang mengandungi tiga biji satar baru seringgit berbanding dua ringgit di KL," kata mereka.

Cuma para peniaga di situ agak sukar memahami dialek KL yang dipertuturkan oleh petugas Bernama kerana rakyat tempatan bertutur dalam dialek Kelantan.

"Sebagai contoh apabila saya minta untuk membeli ayam percik makcik penjual tidak faham dan hanya faham setelah anaknya menterjemahkannya kepada "aye". Begitu juga seringgit disebut "serial"," kata Khairdzir.

Yang menjadikan PRK kali ini lebih santai menurut beliau adalah kedudukan Kuala Besut sebagai pintu masuk ke Pulau Perhentian yang merupakan antara pulau tercantik di dunia dan menjadi destinasi pelancongan antarabangsa.

Hampir setiap hari pemimpin pusat dan negeri serta calon silih berganti ke Pulau Perhentian untuk berkempen kerana pulau yang dihuni oleh lebih 2,000 penduduk itu juga terletak dalam kawasan DUN Kuala Besut.

Khairdzir sendiri berkesempatan menginap semalam di Sharila Beach Resot di Pulau Perhentian Kecil kerana membuat liputan majlis berbuka puasa Timbalan Menteri Komunikasi dan Multimedia Datuk Jailani Johari bersama penduduk Pulau Perhentian. Program yang dikenali dengan nama "Kenali Jiran" itu dianjurkan oleh Jabatan Penerangan Malaysia.

Sebelum pulang ke Kuala Lumpur, Khairdzir dan Puan Harlina yang ditemani dua petugas Biro Bernama KT, Tuan Azam dan Moksin telah ke Dungun untuk mengunjungi bekas editor Meja Berita Encik Ali Mamat.

Walaupun telah bersara sejak 2007, 'sifu' bagi sebilangan besar wartawan Bernama, Encik Ali kelihatan sihat dan ceria.

Beliau yang disyaki menghidap barah hati telah menjalani prosedur rawatan membuang ketumbuhan dalam perutnya sebelum ini namun doktor baru-baru ini mengesan ketumbuhan baru.

Beliau menerima rawatan secara berkala di Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) Kubang Kerian, Kelantan.

"Marilah kita sama-sama mendoakan semoga beliau cepat sembuh," kata Khairdzir.

Menurut isteri Encik Ali, walaupun sakit beliau masih giat dengan aktiviti kegemarannya iaitu memancing dan menjala ikan.

Encik Ali, yang mempunyai dusun durian di Hulu Terengganu berhampiran Tasik Kenyir, turut mempelawa kami mengadakan rombongan ke dusunnya pada musim durian yang akan datang.

Beliau turut berkirim salam kepada sesiapa jua yang mengenalinya. 

Usaha Haji Khairdzir dan Puan Harlina untuk menjejaki seorang lagi "sifu" iaitu bekas Editor Eksekutif Perkhidmatan Berita Am Bernama dan Pengarah NAM News Network (NNN), Encik Rachman Nordin atau dikenali sebagai "Roger", menemui jalan buntu apabila alamat tempat tinggal beliau di Dungun tidak diketahui sesiapa dalam kalangan kami. 

Of Petronas Hari Raya TV commercial...

What started as an icebreaking question on a Sunday morning yesterday triggered a lively discussion on Bernama ED-Team WhatsApp.

“Dah tengok iklan TV Raya Petronas 2013?”

“What do you think of it? Message sampai ke?”

Datuk Yong was the first to respond, saying he had not seen it.

“But what is important is that BERNAMA has a story on that video! It was datelined SABAK BERNAM. Syabas to the reporter concerned. He/she approached story with eyes wide open. That’s the semangat. Story in pg 6 The Star today.”

Interestingly, the heartwarming story of a mother and her daughter, with a simple message that with hard work and diligence, good things will come, has much to do with “semangat kesungguhan” (building passion) that Datuk Yong has been saying since Friday.

The commercial  features an 8-minute clip on a hardworking seamstress who burns the midnight oil by taking in orders for the festive season so she can earn money for her daughter's education.   

Petronas slips in an element of racial harmony too, portrayed by the spirit of neighbourliness between Makcik Aishah, the seamstress and a helpful Chinese shopkeeper, who advises her to take care of her health.   

Petronas Group Corporate Affairs senior general manager Datuk Mohammad Medan Abdullah hoped the advertisement would inspire audience to work hard in order to succeed. The advertisement titled 'Jahit' (Sew) was directed by Quek Shio Chuan with a production crew of 40 at the Behrang Station in Perak within three days.   

 "The seamstress is an important figure during Hari Raya so we decided to feature one this time. And we also included a mother and child relationship, striving hard to succeed," he told Bernama during the advertisement's launch at Kampung Dato Hormat in Sabak Bernam, in conjunction with Petronas 'Sentuhan Kasih Ramadan' 2013 programme on Friday.

Over the years, Petronas festive celebration commercials have won a following for their heartwarming real-life glimpses into the lives of ordinary Malaysians.  

“If Petronas can do it, Bernama can as well,” chipped in saudara Govindnair, sparking excitement and imagination.

“Yesssssss! Why not us? We have tv channel. We don’t have to pay air time. It’s free. This will be icing on the cake in addition to Raya wishes docu. It will make us proud, really proud!,” Datuk Yong responded swiftly.

As the idea “germinated”, saudara Govindnair suggested a kampung setting with  boys of all communities excitedly flying a kite (typical Malaysian thingy), their parents watching and chatting (muhibbah) at staircase of a house.

“Camera closes up on kite. Selamat Aidilfitri written on kite! Ok?,” he said.

An excited Datuk Yong said: “It is time we show the world our creativity.”

“It is said: In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm…in the real world all rests on enthusiasm.”

A Unesco success story …

A meeting to discuss Unesco-related activities carried out by  the sub-committee on Information under  the Malaysian National Unesco Commission (Skum) took place at the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (MCMM) in Putrajaya on Thursday.

Coordinated by MCMM’s International Division, the meeting reviewed various programmes conducted by departments and agencies under the ministry.

Preparation for the national-level ‘Unesco Day 2013’  celebrations to be held in Melaka from October 3 to 6 was also highlighted.

Being held for the second year running, the ‘Unesco Day’ celebration this time would be significant as it would mark the  55^th anniversary of the country’s membership in the Paris-based organisation.

Plans are afoot for the sub-committee to take up booths to showcase its activities during the four-day affair.    

While reservations had been raised about the lack of publicity for  Unesco-related activities in the country, the situation is expected to improve in the run-up to  the  Unesco Day  celebrations .

Talking about impact of Unesco in Malaysia, Bernama is a shining example of Unesco success story having taken its root from a meeting of national news agencies convened by Unesco in Bangkok in December 1961.

The Federation of Malaya was represented by Mr K.C.Arun at the meeting which requested Unesco to assist in the formation of national news agencies in Asia.

It was generally felt the role of the national news agencies was of equal importance to that of the established world agencies and was perhaps complementary.

The meeting also formed an Organisation of Asian News Agencies (OANA) to develop fraternal contacts and professional cooperation among news agencies in the region.

As a follow-up, Lloyd Sommerlad of Unesco visited Kuala Lumpur in July 1962 when the working committee for the establishment of a national news agency was formed at a meeting attended by 22 representatives of 15 local newspapers and official mass media.

The Director of Information Services was elected chairman of the committee while Arun as secretary.

They agreed that a national news agency  would be of immense benefit to Malaysia as a primary medium in the field of mass communications.

It would serve newspapers throughout the country, radio and television.

Its services would also be available to ministries, foreign correspondents, diplomatic missions and commercial enterprises

The meeting recommended to government that the services of a United Nations expert be secured to undertake a detailed study of the costs and organisation of the national news agency.

Accordingly, Unesco sponsored a short-term mission by Mr Sadao Roy Otake, then executive news editor of Kyodo News Agency, to survey the prospects and potential of the news agency project.

Mr Otake undertook his mission in November and December 1962 and presented a comprehensive report.

The Working Committee unanimously endorsed Mr Otake’s recommendations for a news agency at its meeting in May 1963.

The Cabinet, at its meeting held on 4 August 1965, also approved in principle the formation of a national news agency as envisaged in the Otake Report and the recommendations of the Working Committee.

The agency was to be known as Sharikat Berita Nastional Malaysia Berhad or Bernama in short.

The Cabinet authorised the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to undertake, in coonsultation with other ministries and the Working Committee, a detailed study of desirable government assistance to the agency.

Meanwhile, action was initiated to secure the services of a United Nations expert on a second mission, to advise on the detailed planning and organisation of the agency.  

Unesco recruited Donald J.Dallas, a senior editor of Reuters with a wide international experience, who had undertaken a similar mission in Libya in 1964 and 1965.

Dallas arrived in Kuala Lumpur on 6 February 1966 and was offered full facilities for his work by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

He presented his Initial Report covering  the period of  February to June 1966 which served as blueprint to Bernama’s establishment through an Act of Parliament in 1967.

Bernama started operations on May 20, 1968, launching a service in both English and Bahasa Malaysia from a government bungalow, not far from the present headquarters at Jalan Tun Razak.

In his final report (February to December 1968), Dallas said Bernama’s news reporting team has shown a great deal of initiative in “digging out the news”.

A list of those news stories which would never have seen the light of day but for Bernama initiative would be very impressive.

“The Bernama involvement has been an important slice of my life,” he said.

In the report, Dallas recalled the words of then Deputy Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak, which were quoted in his Initial Report:

“The best way of countering false propaganda, he said, was to “employ the clean and straight methods of ‘pure publicity’ based on truth and hard indisputable facts…

“One of the mainstays of democracy is a well-informed public.” 

A Ramadan CSR...

Bernama Library and Information Service (Blis) commitment towards encouraging  the reading habits goes beyond the staff.

It manages the Bernama Kid's 1Malaysia Club (BK1MC) aimed at cultivating the practice  among children of the agency's employees.

Launched on July 31, 2010, BK1MC is also aimed at nurturing writing and photography talents among its members, aged between four and 17 years old.

It has emerged as  one of Bernama's corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.

In conjunction with Ramadan, the club organised an ‘iftar’ at Wisma Bernama today.

About 50 BK1MC members and 20 'tahfiz' students, who are orphans, attended the programme which began with a talk entitled "Becoming an Excellent Human" by motivator Abdul Razak Abdul Mutalib.

BK1MC coordinator Hasnita Ibrahim said the students, from Darul Mahbah in Seri Kembangan, Puchong , also received "duit raya" (raya contribution) of RM200 each from the club.

The raya contribution was presented by Deputy Editor-in-Chief (Domestic News Service) Datuk Zakaria Abd Wahab.

Tahfiz student Mohamad Yazid Ramli, 15, said he was grateful for the contribution as it would enable him to make some preparations for the Aidilfitri celebration.

"I am the youngest of seven siblings. My father died during Ramadan last year. My mother now works to support the family," he said.

Another student, Che Engku Khairul Ahmad Che Ku Razali, 20, the fifth of 12 siblings, said the initiative by BK1MC proved that the society cared for them.

"Happy Reading" gifts...

Step into Bernama library on the eighth floor and you will easily noticed the colourful-wrapped  gift boxes stacked neatly behind the counter.

Each box has a number  -- from 1 to 100.

A glass bowl containing cut-out papers, each also numbered from 1 to 100, sits on the same table.

It is the latest effort by the unit to encourage the reading habit among Bernama staff

Those who want to borrow books are given a card with the tag “Happy Reading”.

Each card contains 12 boxes that would be stamp-marked everytime they borrow of up to three books.

But the mark can only be obtained  at least seven days from the previous entry , irrespective of the number  of books borrowed.

Borrowers can claim the gift once all the boxes in their card are filled, the earliest would be within 12 weeks.

Bernama Library and Information Service (Blis) manager Hasnita Ibrahim says 100 gift boxes are up for grabs, containing various collectible items.

“We estimate that by the time all the gifts are given out, the staff would have collectively borrowed at least 1,200 times,” she said.

Senior Technical Manager Abdul Halim Hafiz Mohamad Radzali is almost reaching the target with only two more boxes to fill.

He started on the day the campaign was launched on May 23.

“It’s a good initiative to inculcate the reading habit…there are lots of books in our library, it’s just up to us whether to read or not,” he said.

Building passion …

It was more than just sharing the good food when Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad held an“Iftar” for Bernama staff on the 9^th floor of  Wisma Bernama today.

The bank’s general manager for strategic relations Datuk Wan Ismail Wan Yusoh agreed to send his officers to give talks on topics such as Islamic banking to Bernama.

Such courses are conducted regularly by  the bank, he said after Bernama Economic Service Editor Mikhail Raj Abdullah floated the idea as further engagement between Bernama and Bank Islam.

Being the pioneer in the industry, Bank Islam has played a leading role in promoting the expansion of Malaysia’s brand of Islamic finance into other markets, especially in the region

General manager Datuk Yong Soo Heong thanked Bank Islam’s for the positive response.

"We want to have reporters who are not just able to report but competent enough to understand a subject and write in-depth articles on them," he told Datuk Wan Ismail.

Slightly three hours earlier after the KPI presentation by all sections, Datuk Yong  recounted about his meeting earlier in the day with Emkay Group Chairman Tan Sri Mustapha Kamal Abu Bakar  who impressed him with his "building passion" approach towards work.

The trait (membentuk semangat kesungguhan) could be emulated as we strive towards organizational excellence.

Keeping KPIs target in check...

KPIs, or key performance indicators help organizations achieve organizational goals through the definition and measurement of progress.

To keep the various services on track to achieve their respective targets for the year, results of their second quarter marks were presented to the general manager Datuk Yong Soo Heong today.

While the performance for the first half of the year was generally good, we need to strive all the way to improve upon our success.

The session enabled us to take a more integrated approach in meeting the KPI targets and do away with “compartmentalization”.

The proposed “Ambassador’s Talk”, for instance, would require the Editorial Department via the International Desk to collaborate with Bernama TV while live chat programmes on Bernama Radio24 can be transformed into news articles for the wire service.

Datuk Yong also spoke about a proposal for Bernama to have a panel of experts who could write on various topics concerning the public.  

This could prompt Bernama editorial staff to sharpen their writing skill and knowledge about a particular subject.

With good programmes and services in the offing,  the marketing side would be able to present more distinct, value-for-money arrangements to potential and existing clients.

A “Blue Ocean” strategy?

Muhyiddin hosts “Buka Puasa” for newsmen...

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin hosted a breaking-of-fast for more than 500 members of the print and electronic media at the grounds of his official residence, Sri Satria, in Putrajaya.

Arriving at about 6.30pm at the marquees put up for his guests, Tan Sri Muhyiddin mingled and chatted with the newsmen.

Among those present were Media Prima chairman Datuk Johan Jaafar, Bernama general manager Datuk Yong Soo Heong, Bernama editor-in-chief Datuk Zulkefli Salleh, Berita Harian group editor Datuk Mior Kamarul Shahid, Harian Metro group editor Datuk Mustapa Omar, Media Prima executive director (News and Editorial Operations) Datuk Ahmad A. Talib, NSTP chairman Tan Sri Mohammad Jawhar Hassan and NSTP group managing editor Datuk Abdul Jalil Hamid.

Among the guests were also a group of students from Sekolah Seri Puteri Cyberjaya who did the country proud by winning a gold award at the Australia International Music Festival (AIMF) held in Sydney from July 7 to 14.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin also handed out Raya contributions to about 80 orphans and the less fortunate from the Subang area.

The programme ended with Tarawih prayers.  

 

Melangkah dengan bergaya….

Keceriaan terpancar pada wajah  40 penghuni Rumah Anak Yatim Darul Aitam di Kuala Selangor  apabila  berpeluang memilih sepasang kasut baharu dan menerima duit raya sebagai persiapan menyambut Syawal daripada Persatuan Suri dan Anggota  Wanita (Benita) Pertubuhan Berita Nasional Malaysia (Bernama) hari  ini.

'Program Sepatu Raya Untuk Si Anak Yatim' itu dilaksanakan hasil sumbangan anggota Benita dan petugas Bernama yang mencecah lebih RM3,000.

Setiausaha Benita Rohana Mustaffa berkata program tahunan itu diperkenalkan sejak 2011.

"Benita mencari sedikit kelainan di dalam pendekatan amalnya apabila menumpukan kepada pemberian kasut raya dan memilih rumah anak yatim di pinggir bandar yang kurang mendapat perhatian," katanya ketika membawa anak yatim itu membeli-belah di Kuala Selangor.

Kedai kasut yang dipilih untuk program amal itu memberikan kerjasama kepada Benita dengan menawarkan diskaun istimewa.

Penyelia Rumah Anak Yatim Darul Aitam Ustaz Mohd Manar Bajuri berkata ini adalah kali pertama penghuni di situ berpeluang memilih kasut raya masing-masing.

Beliau berkata rumah anak yatim itu, yang beroperasi sejak  dua tahun lepas, menjaga kebajikan 66 anak yatim berusia dari lima hingga 15 tahun.

"Saya amat berharap bantuan dapat terus disalurkan ke Darul Aitam yang memerlukan sumbangan seperti bantuan persekolahan, Hari Raya dan juga keperluan harian," katanya.

Seorang penghuni Darul Aitam, Mohd Aqil Yahya, 11, berterima kasih kepada Benita kerana memberinya peluang memilih sepasang kasut berwarna putih.

A Creature Called TPPA…

 With the ensuing hoo-ha over the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), it was helpful that an expert on international trade had volunteered to explain about the “creature” at Wisma Bernama today.

In a power-point presentation, Dr Sufian Jusoh started off by outlining the basic structure of international trade and Malaysia’s involvement in various multi-layer trade agreements.

Saying the TPPA was not peculiar to free trade arrangements, he explained about the structure of the agreement, now in its 18^th round of negotiations in Kota Kinabalu.

The senior fellow and associate professor at the Law Faculty of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and the external consultant of the World Trade Institute (WTI) said:
“I read in the newspaper yesterday that some people say we should not join now but at a later stage when we are more prepared.

“It doesn’t work that way, once the agreement is completed, you cannot negotiate on it again…you have to accept what the terms are.

“So for us, why do we enter the negotiations… (it’s) because we want to be able to dictate the terms at this point of negotiations.

“Whether you sign or not the agreement is a different issue…the most important thing is to be able to tell the trading partners what we can offer and what we cannot,” he said.

Although there were concerned about the perceived ill-effect of the TPPA, he said the pact could actually benefit the country.

“In a nutshell, I think Malaysia will benefit from the signing of the TPPA,” he said.

First, we will access to a bigger market of 700 million people and secondly, there are issues which we have not discussed before in other agreements and this could be addressed under the TPPA.

So what’s in store for the ordinary people?, he was asked.

“There is a possibility of cheaper product because certain type of imports which used to incur certain tariffs will either be zero-rated or very low, making imports cheaper,” he said.

It would also provide an opportunity for Malaysia to request for technical assistance to upgrade our agriculture produce, for instance, in meeting international standards. 
If this happen, we can assume fishermen such as in Kuala Besut would be ready to export their high quality catch and create demands abroad.

  
    

Bernama Being Used To Spread False News...

Bernama denied it had issued a news item on a statement made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on the payment of a Raya bonus to civil servants purportedly carried via the www.bernama.com news portal.

Bernama General Manager Datuk Yong Soo Heong said he believed there were efforts by certain groups to discredit the government by using Bernama during the by-election for the Besut state seat which was held today.

"Bernama has frequently been used by irresponsible groups to tarnish the image of the government because the national news agency is famous for the credibility and validity of the news it sends out," he said in a statement Wednesday.

The Bernama headquarters was informed by its reporters covering the by-election of the false news distributed through the social website, Facebook.

The two-paragraph false news also carried a photograph of the prime minister who was purportedly speaking at a press conference in Kuala Besut.

Datuk Yong said there was a possibility that it was the result of a manipulation using the 'Screenshot' and 'Photoshop' applications

Video Contest To Promote Patriotism, Noble Values...

In conjunction with its 45th anniversary, Bernama is holding a creative short-video clip competition  to promote greater public awareness on patriotism and noble values.

Bernama general manager Datuk Yong Soo Heong hopes the contest would attract Malaysians to showcase their creative and innovative talents.

Details can be viewed at www.bernama.com.

The competition is divided into two categories.

For the first category of promoting noble values, participants can choose from four themes: cleanliness campaign, Say No To Smoking,  observing good neighbourliness and practising road safety at all times.

The last day for submission is August 15. The videos can either be in Bahasa Melayu or English.

The second category is aimed towards inspiring greater consciousness on key issues like practising patriotism, goodwill, inclusiveness and noble values as Merdeka Day (August 31) and Malaysia Day (September 16) are just round the corner.

The closing date for the second category is September 16.

Each category will have three winners and 10 other participants will be given consolation prizes.

The first 50 entries for each category will receive a complimentary Bernama Fan T-shirt. Bernama began operations on May 20, 1968.