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LKIM-Chevron community centre opens

By ROSLINA MOHAMAD, News

PEKAN: The first LKIM-Chevron community centre in the country located in the fishing village of Kampung Kuala Pahang here was recently opened by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The centre was initiated by the Fisheries Development Authority (LKIM) and Chevron Malaysia Limited with the objective of allowing fishermen and their family members, especially the young ones, to acquire knowledge and information.


Acquiring skills: Najib watching Nurul Ain Shakira Abdul Jamal (seated left) and Nas Suzieha Wan Long as they show their skills in using a computer at the centre while LKIM chairman Adam Abdul Hamid (standing left to Najib) looks on.
The building was constructed by LKIM while Chevron filled the centre with computers complete with broadband Internet access, furniture and books, and even paid the salaries of the trainers for the next two years.

Najib, who is also Pekan MP, said the event marked a milestone for the people of Kampung Kuala Pahang.

"This is because it marks the changes that are going to happen in the area.

"I believe the people here do not want to be left behind as the country and the rest of the world move ahead with time," he said when addressing a gathering.

Najib urged corporate bodies to emulate the efforts of Chevron, the owner of the Caltex brand.

Community centres like this would require sponsorship and this was where corporate bodies could make good use of their profits, he added.

"It is a social contribution in line with the Government emphasis on developing human capital," he added.

Najib also said the serene and laid back landscape of Kuala Pahang would be transformed as there were at least three major projects including two expected to kick off soon.

Construction of the Universiti Malaysia Pahang permanent campus would start in the next few months while an aqua-culture project using modern technology would be carried out in July, a project which Najib said was something he really looked forward to.

This was because the project would provide extra income to fishermen, he added.

"Another project is a wave breaker on the Kuala Pahang shoreline which costs a huge sum, but the Government has committed itself because it is a promise made to the people," Najib said.

However, he reminded them of the need to make changes for their own good.

"If you do not make an effort to change and merely leave it to fate, you will not make it as modern fishermen earning good money," he said.