A little technical fault with the sound system did not manage to get in our way, as we manage to kick start SET 2010 shortly after our technical team attended to the problem with help from the library staffs. The qualifying round which requires the participants to write the word out on the given sheet went on smoothly. A list of 25 words with varying degree of difficulty was given to them. The students heaved a sigh of relief after submitting their answer sheets to the facilitators. We paused the show to allow the attendants to fill their stomach with delicious delicacies provided to them just outside the auditorium.

Meanwhile, the team of judges and facilitators were busy backstage to mark and tabulate the marks of the participants. Even though, the schools generally did well. Only the top ten schools with the highest scores manage to secure a place in the semi-finals. Unlike the qualifying round, semi-finals saw each school coming up to the front to spell all the ten words provided in the list of categories by which they were given the choice to choose their respective categories. Students gave their best shot in this round by making the best of the time given to spell the words. Semi-finals ended smoothly after all ten schools are done spelling their fair share of words.

While the judges again work their way through deciding the top 3 finalist, the audience were entertained with a quiz. Though not everyone had a chance to win prizes, the students were very excited to answer all the questions and to grab prizes sponsored by Asas 50. Then came the climax of SET 2010 – the final round of SET 2010. The three schools that managed to get into the finals were, Temasek Primary School, Innova Primary School and West View Primary school. The final round again had a different approach. In this round, schools that did not manage to spell a word correctly will be automatically eliminated from the competition. West View Primary was the first school to be eliminated thus leaving Innova Primary and Temasek Primary to grab the Champion title from the defending-champion Loyang Primary School.

Luck was definitely not on Innova Primary’s side as they failed to spell a word correctly. This automatically puts Temasek Primary School as the Champion for SET 2010. Congratulation Temasek Primary School!

** This entry is a reflection from one of our Belia ASAS, Shahirah Samsudin. She is currently a student at Nanyang Technological University – National Institute of Education.

Amidst the tense atmosphere, last minute briefings were given. Nervousness could be felt even though, we all clearly knew how excited we all were. The entire session kicked off with a short briefing session to provide a clear overview of what the entire Bibliotherapy session will be about. This is the followed by getting them into groups of about 5 or 6 and settling them down to begin the ice breaker session. Giving them the ultimate choice of revealing or veiling their identities, they are allowed to use nicknames instead of their real names. Shortly after the short introduction among each member of the group, the reading and sharing session commenced.

In light of READ! Singapore, the book ‘Diari Hitam’ or ‘Black Diary’ was used in this session. Participants shared their thoughts regarding their favorite story from the anthology and expressed various comments regarding specific story. Such comments include how real a particular story felt and how much she can relate to the situation as written in the story. In such a short period of time, groups managed to foster some bonding among the facilitators and the girls. We then move on to the next part of the session in which participants will have to produce a poem as well as an illustration to accompany the poem. Creative juices were quenched in this part of the session as some groups went to the extent of not only producing individual product but a group product as well. Even though, the time frame provided for this activity was too long, it managed to cater to certain individuals who needed a little bit more time to get their work completed.

From the facilitators’ side, all of us agreed that this part of the session was a very vital one as it gives a platform for the participants to pour out emotions and express feelings which they have kept inside for so long. Some of the poems produced were based on true stories whilst others take this opportunity to express their love and gratitude to their loved ones whom they miss dearly. It is also through this we realize that majority of the girls are really talented and artistic. This can be seen by the wonderful art pieces that they managed to produce in such a short period of time. It is clear that the girls enjoyed the session and has benefitted from it. Some even asked if we were coming back the following week, making it seem much more meaningful for us.

Later, we held a sharing session whereby all the participants shared a little bit about their respective work while some even read out their poems to everyone. It was a bit emotional but nonetheless everyone had a lot of fun displaying their proud work to fellow mates. The session finally punctuated with a debriefing session before everyone tucked in for lunch. It is undeniable that this session has been a fruitful and meaningful one. The girls were not the only one who benefitted from the session; the facilitators also had their share of leaning something new through this.

** This entry is a reflection from one of our Belia ASAS, Shahirah Samsudin. She is currently a student at Nanyang Technological University – National Institute of Education.

Pitchay

INTRODUCTION
Early civilisations have left behind vestiges of their existence such as artefacts and monuments that glorify their achievements and accomplishments. Their scripts especially allow modern researchers to peer into the soul of their civilisations. Tham2 deduced that there are interplays between language and culture, and between culture and the environment, with regards to the Malay language and its scripts. Such synergies can be observed in the journey of the Malay manuscript from its earliest form to its modern day script. Consequently the interaction culminates with the oldest Malay script in the world, the oldest manuscript in Southeast Asia, and, more importantly resurrecting new insights on ancient stone inscriptions.

The Tarumanegara Stone in west Java is believed to bear the oldest known Malay script dating as far back as AD 400. Such stone inscription artefacts are widely found in and about the Indonesian islands of Sumatra: Kota Kapur in west Bangka (686), Karang Brahi between Jambi and Sungai Musi (686), Kedukan Bukit in south Sumatera (683) and Talang Tuwo in south Sumatra (684).

Forming part of the Austronesian language family, which includes Polynesian and Melanesian languages, Malay is widely used in the Malay Archipelago among about 300 million speakers in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore as well as a diaspora in Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia, Asia, East Timor and the Malay people of Australia’s Cocos Keeling Islands in the Indian Ocean. It is understood in parts of the Sulu area of the southern Philippines and traces of it are to be found among people of Malay

To read more
You can download from this url.

This article is written by Mohamed Pitchay Gani Bin Mohamed Abdul Aziz, a Teaching Fellow I with National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University for National Library Board (Singapore)’s biblioasia, Vol 6, Issues 2, July 2010. You can download full collection of biblioasia from this url.

Program Penulisan IRP-ASAS ‘50

PROGRAM PENULISAN ANTARABANGSA (JUN-NOV 2010)

Program Penulisan Antarabangsa ASAS ’50-NAC atau IRP-ASAS ’50-NAC adalah program penulisan bertujuan menyediakan seorang mentor (penulis luar negara) bagi membimbing para penulis Singapura melahirkan lebih banyak karya asli Singapura yang bermutu dalam bahasa Melayu.

Mentor yang dilantik khusus bagi program ini ialah Profesor Emeritus Dr Budi Darma daripada Universitas Negeri Surabaya merupakan seorang Profesor Kesusasteraan dan penulis terkenal Indonesia. Mentor tersebut akan menyediakan ruang bagi para peserta mendalami pengetahuan, kefahaman, keperluan dan kemahiran dalam bidang penulisan, khususnya genre novel.

Program ini adalah kursus intensif selama 6 bulan yang akan bermula pada bulan Jun 2010 hingga November 2010, dengan kemuncaknya para peserta menghantar sebuah karya berbentuk novel untuk dinilai dan diterbitkan.

Bagi pendaftaran sila muat-turun borang berikut dari lelaman alamat ini untuk Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Inggeris (English)

UNIVERSITI Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI)  menandatangani Perjanjian Persefahaman  (MoU) dengan persatuan penulis terkenal di  Singapura, Angkatan Sasterawan 50 (Asas 50)  bagi menggerakkan kegiatan kedua-dua pihak  dalam usaha memartabatkan kesusasteraan  Melayu.

Naib Canselor Upsi, Prof Datuk Dr Aminah  Ayob ketika menandatangani MoU di Bangunan  Canselori, 2 April lalui berkata, Upsi akan meneruskan hubungan kerjasama dengan Asas 50 bagi menyemarakkan kegiatan kesusasteraan walaupun perjanjian persefahaman dimeterai untuk tempoh tiga tahun.

“Wakil Asas 50 akan terus dijemput untuk menyertai aktiviti sastera anjuran Upsi. Universiti ini akan sentiasa berusaha melipatgandakan kegiatan seni sastera seperti forum serta seminar termasuk dengan media seperti Malam Puisi Riong yang diadakan dengan kerjasama Berita Harian dan Kesatuan Koperasi Guru-guru Melayu Malaysia Barat (KGMMB),” katanya ketika berucap pada majlis terbabit.

Penyair Marhaen

MEMBERI peluang kepada para belia dan menggilap potensi mereka dalam bidang penulisan sajak, sekali  gus membentuk angkatan penulis pelapis yang mampu menjamin masa depan kesusasteraan Melayu tanah  air.

Penerbitan buku bertajuk Penyair Gen Z oleh badan kesusteraan Melayu, Angkatan Sasterawan ’50 (Asas 50), kelmarin, merealisasikan matlamat tersebut.

Buku setebal 104 muka surat itu telah dilancarkan dalam satu majlis di Perpustakaan Negara, oleh tetamu terhormat, Timbalan Ketua Eksekutif Majlis Seni Kebangsaan (NAC), Encik Khor Kok Wah.

Buku yang mengandungi 33 kuntum sajak diiringi dengan seni grafik dan ilustrasi itu ditulis oleh pelajar daripada 22 sekolah menengah.

Buku tersebut dihasilkan di bawah program Penyair Marhaen kelolaan Asas 50 – satu-satunya inisiatif serupa itu yang dilaksanakan di Singapura dan di rantau ini.

Program itu merupakan sebahagian daripada pendekatan serampang tiga mata untuk memasyarakatkan kesusteraan Melayu yang bersesuaian dengan usaha pemerintah memupuk minat kepada warisan dan bahasa ibunda.

Ia bermula Jun lalu dan melibatkan 521 pelajar sekolah menengah yang dibimbing 40 pemudahcara yang kebanyakannya guru pelatih.

Ketua Program dan Ketua Sayap Belia Asas 50, Encik Mohamed Herwanto Johari, 30 tahun, berkata pihaknya pada mulanya tidak mengharap sumbangan bermutu daripada peserta tetapi selepas beberapa sesi, beliau mendapati sajak yang dihasilkan bermutu tinggi.

‘Ada di kalangan mereka yang tidak pernah menulis malah, tidak pernah membaca sajak sebelum ini. Tetapi, apabila diberi peluang, mereka menunjukkan bakat yang menyerlah.

‘Beberapa di antara mereka berjaya menulis sajak yang mendalam dan saya sendiri tidak percaya mereka boleh mencapai tahap tersebut,’ katanya ketika ditemui selepas majlis tersebut.

Mengulas mengenai bahasa yang digunakan pula, Encik Herwanto berkata pihaknya tidak memberi terlalu banyak perhatian kepada gaya bahasa.

‘Kami mahu mereka menulis dalam laras bahasa mereka sendiri dan luahkan perasaan mereka,’ ujarnya.

Ketua 1 Asas 50, Encik Mohamed Pitchay Gani, pula berkata program itu merupakan antara inovasi Asas 50 untuk menjadikan sastera relevan dan menarik.

Beberapa pelajar yang berjaya menghasilkan karya terbaik telah diberikan hadiah.

Salah seorang daripadanya ialah Siti Umairah Affandi, daripada Sekolah Menengah Woodlands, yang menghasilkan sajak berjudul Aku.

‘Saya mendapat inspirasi daripada memerhatikan orang lain. Saya meluangkan masa 45 minit untuk menulis sajak tersebut dan melukis grafiknya sekali,’ ujarnya yang melukis gambar singa.

Bagi Nuramirah Mohammad Isa pula berkata gurunya, Cik Juliana Johari, mendorong dan memberi inspirasi kepadanya untuk menulis

‘Saya memang gemar menulis dan kalau boleh ingin menjadi penulis apabila besar kelak,’ ujar pelajar Sekolah Menengah Evergreen itu, yang memenangi hadiah bagi sajak ilustrasinya, Di Mana Erti Keadilan.

Orang ramai yang ingin membeli buku tersebut daripada kedai-kedai buku Andalus dengan harga $15.

Sebahagian usaha Asas 50 memasyarakatkan sastera Melayu
Oleh Safhras Khan
Sumber rencana

Majlis Bahasa Melayu Singapura

Formed in April 1981, Majlis Bahasa Melayu is first known as Jawatankuasa Pembakuan Ejaan Melayu oleh Kementerian Kebudayaan Singapura. This committe is tasked to ensure all the roads spellings is correctly spell.

In 1983, the committee changes their name to  Jawatankuasa Bahasa Melayu Singapura and placed under the Ministry of Information and Art. In September 1992, they changed their name to Majlis Bahasa Melayu Singapura (MBMS) and tasked to the below objectives:

1. membakukan sistem ejaan bahasa Melayu di Singapura;
2. membincangkan, memutuskan, dan memilih istilah-istilah yang sesuai serta menyelesaikan masalah berkenaan istilah bahasa Melayu;
3. menangani masalah pencemaran bahasa di Singapura;
4. mengembangkan, mempertingkatkan, dan menggalakkan penggunaan bahasa Melayu di Singapura.

To find out more about this organisation, you can visit: http://mbms.sg/

NLB - Arabs in Southeast Asia

From April to October 2010, at the Exhibition Area, Level 10, National Library Building (100 Victoria Street, Singapore 188064), National Library Board is hosting an exhibition on discovering the homeland and culture of the Arabs in Southeast Asia

The Arabs have came more than six thousand kilometres away from Singapore, across the Indian Ocean, in a region in Yemen known as Hadhramaut to explore and trade in the east of the world.

In Singapore, the common names like Aljunied, Alkaff, and Alsagoff are part of our landscape in building and street names. These names, and many others, belong to Arab migrants from the Hadhramaut who came to Singapore from the nineteenth century onwards. Some came directly from Hadhramaut; some came from other places such as Indonesia and Malaysia. This migration of people and cultural adaptations are parts of the story of the Arabs in Southeast Asia. Most of the Arabs who settled in Southeast Asia were from Hadhramaut, and are known as Hadhramis.

On the website (http://rihlah.nl.sg/) and also in the exhibition hall , the NLB librarians has presented photographs and artefacts ranging from personal documents to musical instruments and items on public display for the first time, this exhibition will introduce visitors to the Hadhramaut, and the history and culture of the Arabs in Southeast Asia.

Click here (PDF, 2249kb) for more information on the project.

Fast facts

Events Organiser: National Library Board
Name of event: Rihlah : Arabs in Southeast Asia
Dates of events:  April to October 2010
Site URL: http://rihlah.nl.sg/

ASAS 50 - Old Site

We really hope you bear with us as we are constructing a new ASAS 50 website.

Site Under Construction

With the advent of new technology and in a world gone online, always on, and viral, we are set on a full gear to revamp ASAS 50 to embrace the New Social Media with the next few weeks of intensive development. We have form a web team of experts from the industry to restructure this portion of our online effort in outreaching the community. At the same time, we are also looking into the areas of knowledge management to strategically sustain our efforts in spread the interest of Malay language literacy to the community.

Please endure with our efforts, while we are developing this site. If you need to refer to the old ASAS 50 site, here is the old url: http://asas50.com/archived/.

If you have further inquire, you can contact us via this form.

Regards,

Hazman Aziz
Web Team
ASAS 50