Address by the NSA for the NDF newsletter (January 2010)

Dearly loved friends,
The Faith in Sarawak had concluded 2009 with a string of successful events. The first to be made mentioned was our fruitful 8th State Institutional Meeting held in November at Sibu. 160 people came and there were warm participation from youths who are actively involved in the four core activities. Goals were set by regions, each focusing on further growth and advancement of their clusters. The remaining clusters which have not launched the Intensive Programme of Growth could be a challenge but if we have Faith, so shall our powers be.

Another event which followed was the Bahai School Teachers Conference at Kuching Park in December. A total of 26 school teachers attended the conference and pledged to do their part in empowering the Junior Youth in their charge. The conference was graced by the presence of our dear Counsellor George Soraya, 8 Spiritual Assembly members, guest speaker Associate Professor Dr. Irene Leong, Resource person for Junior Youth Dr. Vishnu, ABMs, Sarawak Bahai Institute Board members and Council Members. The strong support from the institutions shows the great significance of this event. The sole purpose of the conference is the direct response to the call of our beloved Universal House of Justice to have at least 200 junior youths participating in the Spiritual Empowerment programme in each cluster. The Assembly had identified 5 priority clusters for this project - Kuching, Lundu, Serian, Mukah and Bakong clusters. Friends, we all can assist in ensuring the success of our endeavor in this field. This call has been made based on the realization that Sarawak has great potential, as we have a large number of school teachers throughout the state.

Another achievement worth mentioning is that the friends have arisen to answer the call by the Spiritual Assembly of Sarawak to contribute to the Pioneer Fund. 28 selfless individuals and 3 Local Spiritual Assemblies have generously contributed to the Pioneer Deputization Fund. As of now, 22 youth pioneers are out there at their pioneering post. We hope that more friends will arise to provide continuous support for the deputization fund.

Lastly, the coming 13th National Convention shall be held from the 30 April (2.00pm) till 2nd May (noon). The venue has yet to be confirmed. Please ensure that you have done your part in casting your vote to elect a delegate from your area to ensure the success of the National Convention. A well administered election will ensure the maturity of our blessed Institution.

With loving greetings,
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Sarawak.

We are glad to announce that our 12th National Convention was successfully held at Penview Hotel recently in Kuching. The names of the newly elected Assembly Members were already announced in the earlier issue of our newsletter (Azamat). We are very happy indeed to see new faces among the delegates who are young adults and a milestone where young people are ready to shoulder their responsibilities as followers of the Blessed Beauty.

Many matters were discussed during the Convention, resulting in a fruitful consultation mainly focusing on the framework of the Five Year Plan. One of the main topics being deliberated on is the critical condition of the National Fund. Contribution from the friends had dropped for the past few months. Our activities had multiplied and our expenditure too had increased. We are sure that the delegates who are equally concerned had brought this message back to their communities respectively. It is our hope that the friends will arise to answer the call for 1000 contributors as targeted by The National Spiritual Assembly a reality and contribute regularly to support the life blood of the Cause. We also call upon the friends to study the Ridvan Message
thoroughly in their communities.

The Guardian had referred to us as “the community of the blissful, a community aware of the vast potentialities with which it has been endowed and conscious of the role it is destined to play in rebuilding a broken world. Let us not falter in accomplishing our ambitious goals as the Universal House of Justice has assured us their heartfelt prayer at the Sacred Threshold for those who labour so diligently and sacrificially in the forefront of the teaching work.”

With loving Baha’i greetings,
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahai’s of Sarawak

Our hearts was filled with immense joy and we were spiritually uplifted when we were conducting the class. I felt as though my spirit and determination in teaching these vibrant junior youth could never be dampened.

It is an honour for us, animators, to be given the privilege to mould these junior youths in developing the skills and attitude necessary to become agents of change; in understanding their capacity to transform their own life by recognizing the spiritual significance of their action and words. We will continually strive to fulfill our duty and give our service in the path of this great Faith of God.

Also present at the convention were 2 representatives of the Baha’i Continental Board of Counsellors for Asia, an appointed arm of the Baha’i administrative system.

The convention, an annual event, is similarly held throughout the worldwide Baha’i community in any country where a Baha’i national administrative body exists.

In addition to the said election, the convention also served as an avenue for the Baha’is to share and consult on matters pertaining to the development and growth of the Baha’i Faith in Sarawak.

The newly elected members of the Spiritual Assembly are Mr. Dajai Mancha, Mr. Chin Chia Chau, Ms. Kong Ah Fah, Mr. Tipik Ladi, Mr. Robert Ting, Ms. Marilyn Madu, Mr. Yong Kiong Choon, Mr. Terence Tinggi and Mr. Neilson Narong.

More than 1,320 followers of the Baha’i Faith, gathered in Kuching, the state capital of the Malaysian state of Sarawak, for a 2-day regional conference that started on 20 Dec, 2008.

The gathering is one of the 41 similar regional conferences held, being held or will be held throughout the Baha’i world between November 2008 to March 2009. These conferences, starting with the first one held in Lusaka, Zambia in 1 Nov 2008 and will end with the last one in Kiev, Ukraine on 1 March 2009, were called by the Universal House of Justice, the world governing body of the worldwide Baha’i communities, to provide the opportunity for the Baha’is to celebrate the feats already achieved during the first half of their current Five Year Plan and to deliberate on its current exigencies.

Among the distinguished guests in the Kuching gathering were two representatives of the Universal House of Justice, namely, Mrs. Zenaida Ramirez and Dr. Ayman Rouhani, and fours members of the appointed Baha’i Board of Counsellors for Asia, namely, Mr. Foad Reyhani, Mr. George Soraya, Mrs. Lee Lee Ludher and Mr. Jayagopan Ramasamy.

Participants from outside Sarawak numbered 110 from Indonesia, 96 from the Malaysian state of Sabah, and a few from Brunei, Cambodia, Japan and Singapore. The biggest number of participants were from all the towns, villages and longhouses throughout Sarawak.

The conference programme included two workshops and a cultural evening. Altogether, 13 clusters were identified for possible launching of Intensive Programme of Growth before the end of April 2009.

Soon Kam has been recently named as the recipient of the Dean’s Excellence Award for the category of Outstanding Higher Degree Research Student at the Faculty of Built Environment & Engineering, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane. Awarded to one each year, this award aims to recognize research students with outstanding performance during their candidature.

Currently also a PhD Scholar of the Australian Cooperative Research Center for Construction Innovation (CRC-CI), Soon Kam’s research has a focus on sustainable infrastructure development – a balanced development approach that gives due attention to social and environment considerations while achieving economic objectives. Fully sponsored by CRC-CI, the research is expected to establish guidelines for sustainable practices specifically in road and highway infrastructure projects development – one that is commonly believed to be crucial for human’s sustainable living on earth. His timely research was welcomed and highly commended by both government and the industry in Australia. Presented in international conferences and seminars, his many academic papers were commented as “a promising research” and “a valuable contribution to the discussion of sustainable concepts for infrastructure projects”.

Professor Jay Yang, a principal supervisor, said he found Soon Kam to be excellent compared to dozens of students whom he had supervised. “His writing is clear, concise and evocative. His research skills of analytical thinking, sharp perception and elucidative expression ideas were well demonstrated”. Professor Jay praised him for his highest level of integrity and sense of commitment.    Soon Kam also did his Masters by research degree under the same supervisor at QUT. He completed the Masters degree six months in advance. At that time, he was also a scholarship recipient.

Graduated in 2001, Soon Kam was the Top Student at the Department of Quantity Surveyor, Fakulti Alam Bina, UTM Skudai. He still maintains a close friendship with his ex-lecturers and professors. In congratulating him for his award, Professor Dr. Sr. Abdul Ghani Khalid commended Soon Kam as “an exemplary student and the most grateful alumnus of the department”.

Growing up as a Baha’i and believing in man’s merits lie in virtues and service to humanity, Soon Kam has a great passion for community. Besides academic excellence, he serves in many NGOs and community development boards and committees. He is an international speaker on moral and spiritual education. He travels widely around the world to share his vision and to inspire others to arise to serve and to contribute positively for common good. Soon Kam was honored as The Outstanding Young Malaysian (TOYM) 2006 in recognition of his outstanding contribution towards the development of moral and spiritual education of children and youths. Subsequently, he was chosen as one of the 30 Finalists of the prestigious Outstanding Young Persons of the World Awards 2007 by the Worldwide Federation of Young Leaders and Entrepreneurs (Jaycees).

On the 20th to the 21st of Septermber, The Partners of Peace organized a celebration of the International Day of peace, and the Baha’i Community of Taiping was invited to take part in an exhibition, focusing on the role of the Baha’i Faith in promoting world peace. The occasion was launched by YABhg Dato’ Seri Dr Hj Wan Mohd. Isa bin Dato’ Seri Wan Ahmad, Orang Besar Jajahan Larut Matang dan Selama. The Baha’i booth had a display of books, magazines and pamphlets, including a video highlighting the global role Baha’is play in promoting world peace. The booth was visited by many members of the community, where a lot of them were given opporunities to ask about the Baha’i Faith. The Chairman of the Taiping LSA, Mr Sukumaran was also invited to sign the Peace Declaration 2008.

Visit the Taiping LSA homepage at http://taipinglsa.googlepages.com

ENGLISH: On the 3rd of August 2008, 22 friends from the Padawan community including 3 children and 2 junior youths met at Mr. Bonaventure’s home to learn more about the recent Ridvan Message 2008. The discussion was initially called a “Retreat” but according to the day’s facilitator ABM Cikgu Bunsie Tunton, not enough criteria were met for it to be called a “Retreat”. Nevertheless, the discussion went ahead and began at 10:00 AM lasting 5 hours until 3:00 PM. The turnout was encouraging as not only did 9 members of the local Majlis Rohani attend, but AJKs from every sector in the Padawan area were also present. Most of the information that was shared by the ABM was in line with the 27 Dis messages that outlined the role of the MRT in the development of the clusters. Padawan’s MRT later agreed to hold more similar activities in order to deepen the knowledge within the community which will later serve to boost the spirit of the friends to serve the faith.

BAHASA MALAYSIA: Pada 3hb Ogos 2008, seramai 22 orang dari komuniti Padawan termasuk tiga orang kanak-kanak dan dua orang belia muda telah berkumpul di kebun salah seorang Bahai iaitu En. Bonaventure Ho di Jalan Batu Kitang untuk mendalami berkenaan Mesej Ridvan 2008. Perbincangan tersebut pada awalnya adalah “RETREAT” tetapi mengikut Fasilitator pada hari tersebut ABM Cikgu Bunsie Tunton mengatakan perjumpaan ini tidak boleh dikatakan sebagai “RETREAT” kerana criteria adalah tidak ditepati, walau bagaimanapun perbincangan tetap dijalankan dari Jam 10.00 pagi sehingga Jam 3.00 petang. Selain daripada 9 orang ahli Majlis Rohani Tempatan yang hadir, AJK dari tiap-tiap sector di kawasan Padawan juga hadir. Kebanyakkan malumat yang dikongsikan oleh ABM adalah berkenaan mesej 27 Dis yang menjuruskan kepada peranan MRT dalam perkembangan klaster. MRT Padawan telah bersetuju supaya ada lagi aktiviti seperti ini akan dijalankan untuk mendalami pengetahuan di kalangan komuniti yang mana akan membakar semengat mereka untuk berkhidmat kepada akidah.

A certificate was presented to representatives of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Vietnam at a ceremony on 25 July.

It was the final act in a series of steps that included the election four months ago of the Baha’i Assembly – itself a landmark event in that it was the first time in many years that elections for the governing council were held. Government representatives were on hand to observe the balloting.

The head of the central government’s Committee for Religious Affairs, Nguyen The Doanh, officiated at last week’s ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City.

The official government news agency reported the event and referred to comments by the chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is, Mr. Nguyen Thuc: “(He) said the Government’s recognition of the Baha’i religion ‘charts a new course of development for the entire Baha’i community’ and motivates followers to make more contributions to social and humanitarian activities and to drive to preserve traditional spiritual values.”

The Baha’i Faith was established in the country in 1954, and the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Vietnam was elected 10 years later. In the mid-1970s, formal activities of the community were suspended.

The Vietnam News Agency said last week’s ceremony means that “the Government’s Committee for Religious Affairs has recognized the Baha’i Community of Vietnam as a religious organization able to operate on an equal footing with other religions.”

Baha’is of Vietnam are now working on consolidating their community, gathering accurate statistics, and expanding social projects to serve the people of Vietnam, particularly in the area of education.

Nelson Évora made a name for himself by winning the gold medal in the Triple Jump event at the recent Beijing Olympics 2008. Born in Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), where his parents had come to live from Cape Verde, Nelson relocated to Portugal when he was five years old. He still holds the Cape Verdean records in both the long jump (7.57 metres) and the triple jump (16.15 metres).

Nelson’s family moved into an apartment that happened to be on the floor above Nelson’s future coach, trainer and mentor, Joao Ganco, who was also a member of the Portuguese Baha’i community. João Ganço, was the former Portugal record-holder and the first man in Portugal to pass over 2m in the high jump. David Ganço, one of João Ganço’s three sons had became Évora’s best friend. One day, João Ganço, seeing them playing in the street, suggested Nelson to start practicing athletics. That was the start of a booming career in sports and João Ganço became Nelson’s first coach.

Mr. Ganco, who introduced Mr. Evora to the Baha’i Faith, describes the young star as a talented athlete and as responsible, humble, good-humored, and helpful. After the Olympics, Mr. Evora will study in the faculty of management at the University of Lisbon.