Monday, April 20, 2009

Engineering Excellence in Nation Building Stamp

Engineering has been an integral part in the development of many nations. Great strides have been made in the development of Malaysia ever since we gained our independence in 1957.

Closely associated with the nation's progress is The Institute of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) which was established in 1959 with the intention to reflect the independence of Malaysian engineers professionally.

In the last 50 years since its inception, IEM as the prime mover of nation building, have strived to promote sound professional engineering practice amongst its members and enhance sound professional engineering practices amongst its members and enhance society's consciousness of science and technology. The Strategic Plan drafted in 1997 was to steer the Institution towards becoming the premier professional organization that is pivotal to Malaysia achieving Vision 2020.



Transportation and Ports

Ports: Penang Port is the transshipment hub of the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand growth triangle. Port Klang has world-class facilities while the nearby Westport is reputed as the "Fastport, Flexiport and Gardenport of south-East Asia.

Air Transportation: Malaysia has 37 airports, five of which are international airports, 15 domestic airports and 17 Short Takeoff and Landing airstrips. The biggest airport, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) can handle 25 million passengers per annum and 1.2 million tons of cargo.

Railway: Peninsular Malaysia is served by railway lines which link the country with Thailand and Singapore as well as another line to the east coast state of Kelantan. The modern city of Kuala Lumpur boasts of an electric commuter train, the KTM Komuter, Light Rail Transport (LRT) and Monorail. Meanwhile, the Express Rail links the city to KLIA.



Road Bridge & Dam

Roads: With an estimated 95% of the goods transported by road, Malaysia’s modern road infrastructure has won praises from foreign investors. The modern North-South Highway and the East-West Highway make it easy to travel by road to any destination in the country.

Bridge: Bridges are an important element in establishing communication links between towns and cities that are separated by difficult terrain or rivers. The role of bridges has been important in the economic and social development of Malaysia’s enabling transportation links in moving people and goods.

Dams: The country enjoys high rainfall as well as an extensive network of more than 150 rivers that are sources of water supply. Most Malaysian buildings are served by piped water.



Telecommunication and Power

Electricity: To promote renewable energy the Government initiated the Malaysia Building Integrated Photovoltaic (MPIPV) project in July 2005 to encourage renewable energy among the public and speed up development of a sustainable local market.

Telecommunication: The National Telecommunication Policy boosted the growth of telecommunication technology and services to support the nation’s development. A multi0million ringgit high speed broadband infrastructure project focusing on the Klang Valley and the Iskandar Development Region would be implemented over the next 10 years.

Information Technology: Both the rapid development of the telecommunication infrastructure and the expansion of the electronics industry have ushered in the Information Technology era in Malaysia. The ambitious Multimedia Super Corridor has further the growth of the Information Computer Technology (ICT).



Technical Details

Date of Issue : 20th April 2009

Stamp Value : 30 sen (setenent x 2), 50 sen (setenent)

Sheet Content : 10 Setenant Pairs

First Day Cover Value : 30 Sen

Perforation : 14

Paper : Watermarked SPM, Phosphor Coated

Printing Process : Lithography

Printer : Percetakan Keselamatan Nasional Sdn. Bhd.

Designer : Reign Associates Sdn. Bhd.


>>> Read more about "Engineering Excellence in Nation Building Stamp" <<<

Thursday, April 9, 2009

World Heritage Sites Stamps

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, desert, monument, complex or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the International World Heritage Program administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

The goal of the program is the conservation of sites deemed to be of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humankind. UNESCO funds numerous efforts to preserve and restore sites in developing nations through the World Heritage Fund. Moreover, World Heritage designations often contribute towards the enhancement of the local economies by encouraging tourism. Each World Heritage brings a certain property of the country on whose territory the site is located, but it is considered in the interest of the international community to preserve and protect each site for our future generation.

The designation as a World Heritage Site brings a certain prestige to a location and its home country. Increasing the awareness of a site and its history also increases awareness of the need to preserve and protect.

Malaysian is proud of have four sites that have been declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The world Heritage Inscription confirms the outstanding universal values of Malacca and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca as the cities with unique cultural assets as well as the exceptional universal conservation values of the natural sites of Kinabalu Park and Mulu National Park.



Malacca & George Town

Malacca and George town are historic cosmopolitan in the Straits of Malacca, which for more than 500 years saw the unique blending of Portuguese, Dutch, Arab, Chinese, Indian and English cultures with the local indigenous Malay culture, manifested in architectural forms and styles as well as intangible culture. the different cultural groups and traditions has helped to enrich the beautiful traditions and customs of these historic cities.

Malacca and George Town were declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2008 and are listed under three cultural criteria of the World Heritage Convention: as exceptional criteria examples of multicultural trading towns permeated with many layers of historical; as living testimony to cultural and religious diversity reflected in multicultural living heritage and as townscapes of vernacular architecture - especially shop-houses and townhouses.

Note: The top corners of the stamps depict windows of the buildings featuring unique architecture with different styles and influences.



Mulu National Park

Mulu National Park, named after Mount Mulu, the second highest mountain in Sarawak received inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 for its outstanding universal values of natural environment settings by surpassing four main criteria. Its combination of alluvial clays, impressive canyon, spectacular sandstone and limestone formations, untamed rivers, serene rain forest rich in astonishing numbers of plants and animal species, imposing mountains rank among the world's most outstanding scenery and further add to the variety and specialisation of the park's biology.

Within Mulu National Park is Sarawak Chamber which is the world's largest natural underground chamber, Deer Cave which has the largest known cave passage in the world housing a staggering two million bats, the Pinnacles of Gunung Api which are up to 45 meters tall forms one of the world's most spectacular limestone landscape and Clearwater Cave, which exposes part of a long underground river going through the park.



Kinabalu Park

Kinabalu Park, named after Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in South East Asia, received inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, which confirms its exceptional universal values of a natural site and the role as one of the most important biological sites in the world.

This park is blessed with an astonishing variety of flora and fauna that ranges over 4 climate zones. The mountain is famous for its many carnivorous plants, mammals, orchid species and birds including the beautiful Scarlet Minivet featured at the top right corner of the stamp



Technical Details

Date of Issue : 9th April 2009

Stamp Value : 50 sen (4 Designs)

Sheet Content : 10 Setenant Pairs

Miniature Sheet : RM2

First Day Cover Value : 30 Sen

Perforation 14

Paper Watermarked SPM, Phosphor Coated

Printing Process Lithography

Printer : Percetakan Keselamatan Nasional Sdn. Bhd.

Designer : Hazel Design Sdn. Bhd.

Alltop, all the top stories
BlogMalaysia.com
All Malaysian Bloggers Project