Screenshots

"PAS knows I am an Umno member, but it is open enough to accept me, and to give me an opportunity to contribute towards the development of my home-state," Sheikh told Screenshots recently.

Sheikh, who is an exco member of the National Bloggers Alliance which was formed last Thursday, is better known for his kickass posters about the political malaise in Malaysia.

One of his immediate liaison activities is to co-organise a 3-day-2-night bloggers retreat in Kelantan.

"We planned to take our fellow bloggers to visit Kelantan and for them to blog on whatever issue that they wish to blog about the state," he said in his blog recently.

As for Sheikh's official duty, one of the immediate tasks is tackling the controversy surrounding the deforestation of Lojing and alleged lack of enforcement on the part of the Department of Environment (DoE).

"When I was in Kelantan recently, I managed to see some video footage which my cousin and his UMNO buddies had shot a day earlier in Lojing Highlands. He also presented me with some stunning information on the ownership of certain hundred acres of land there," Sheikh said.

Much ado about Lojing

Lojing hogged the headlines recently where the state government of PAS was accused of allowing indiscriminate logging, causing environmental problems to the surrounding regions, amidst state authorities' counter-claims that two companies had flouted regulations by starting work without the environment impact assessment (EIA) report.

At the Parliament recently, one MP claimed that rain has caused the exposed soil in Lojing to be washed into the Pahang river, causing the waterway to be silted up in some parts; while another alleged that the removal of forest cover in Lojing has raised the temperature of Cameron Highlands.

For those uninitiated, Lojing is about two hours from KL, and it is accessible via the north-bound PLUS highway. At the Simpang Pulai interchange, take the new route to Cameron Highlands via Pos Slim. Road condition is good en route straight to Gua Musang via Bertam.

"I hope to keep updating more about Lojing on my blog," he said. "I am also going to start a new blog which will be in Bahasa Malaysia."

Meanwhile, Sheilh extends his invitation to fellow Malaysians who wish to work in Kelantan. "There are lots of openings especially under the communications and multimedia section," he said. "Please email me if you are interested."

Sheikh can be reached at his email: kickdefella @ yahoo.com.

Prior to his lecturing at UTAR, Sheikh was the director, producer and script-writer for film and TV programmes. He was the film director for Persona Non Grata, Earl Grey & Kopi Kampung and Kuartet Merdeka. He also the producer for Astro Ria TV magazine Sensasi Auto for four seasons.

Throughout his 12-year career history in broadcast, Sheikh has won numerous awards for his works, which include Best Story award for Perempuan Melayu Terakhir and Most Promising Director award for Persona Non Grata. Incidentally, Persona Non Grata was chosen to represent Malaysia in Asia-Pacific Film Festival, Taiwan, in 2006.

At the moment, Sheikh is gungho about his new posting and he is in the midst of taking his oath before a judge. "Waiyaaa… All this while I thought you angkat sumpah in front of the Commissioner of Oath."

RELATED BLOGS:

- Susan Loone: PAS appoints one of country’s top bloggers in Kelantan state agency
- Penarik Beca: Surat terbuka kepada Sheih

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is still in search of his Al-Ghazali and Al-Shafie...

Mencari Damai Abadi

Aku cari bukan harta bertimbun-timbun,
Untuk hidup kaya,
Aku cari bukan wang berjuta-juta,
Untuk hidup bergaya,
Aku cari bukan kawan-kawan,
Untuk hidup sekadar berfoya-foya,
Aku cari mana dia Al-Ghazali,
Aku cari mana dia Al-Shafie,
Kita bongkar rahsia kitab suci,
Cari panduan,
Kita bongkar rahsia sunah Nabi,
Cari pedoman,
Aku hidup kerana Dia Rabbi,
Dialah teman,
Dialah wali,
Dia mencukupi,
Aku hidup bererti,
Menikmati damai abadi.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi