Most of us are familiar with the many great gentlemen heroes who fought for the nation’s Independence, such as Tunku Abdul Rahman and Dato' Onn Jaafar.
This year, however, Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) is shining the spotlight on one of the women “Tokoh Kemerdekaan”, Tan Sri Hajah Zainon Binti Sulaiman, also known as Ibu Zain, who played a pivotal role in inspiring Malaysians to unite and stand up as one.
Her inspiring yet lesser-known story was captured in a Hari Kebangsaan and Hari Malaysia film titled “Ibu, Kisah Seorang Tokoh Kemerdekaan”, to celebrate the spirit of Malaysia’s independence and as an example of strength through unity.
Aptly and equally inspiring too is that the film is narrated by her own daughter, Fadzilah Amin (Tok Lah), one of the most respected lecturers and educators in the country.
The film is part of TM‘s Mengukir Malaysia initiative to celebrate and preserve our local culture through innovative technologies that enhances and elevates its delivery and enables Malaysians of all ages to better appreciate the richness of Malaysia’s heritage.
Aimed at reconnecting people with the nation’s history and preserving the country’s rich heritage, TM brought to life the art of Wayang Kulit (shadow play), one of the earliest forms of animation in Southeast Asia, to tell the story of Ibu Zain.
The project was born from one premise: ‘What if we could shine a light on a forgotten Malaysia hero through an art form that is also fading?’
Shanti Jusnita Johari, Chief Marketing Officer, TM, said, “Through our Mengukir Malaysia initiative, we aspire to leverage technologies that not only changes the way we live, work and play, but also enhances our perspectives and ideas, drawing from our local culture and history to remind us about what’s made us a great nation.
“This Hari Kebangsaan and Hari Malaysia, we wanted to remember and celebrate Malaysia’s many unsung heroes, such as Ibu Zain, who made our country great. We hope that through this short film, people will be encouraged to learn more about this historical icon as we commemorate her legacy via Wayang Kulit, one of the first forms of storytelling by our ancestors which we must also preserve.”
In ensuring that the film stays true to the ancient art of Wayang Kulit, TM found the perfect partner in Tintoy Chuo and his Tok Dalang from Fusion Wayang Kulit, who are renowned for their unique take on the art of Wayang Kulit. Their efforts to bring Wayang Kulit into the digital 21st century has garnered international attention, putting Malaysian Wayang Kulit on the world map.
For this collaboration, TM and Tintoy Chuo weaved in virtual reality technology, bringing the Wayang Kulit experience to school children from across the nation’s 13 States. Sharing Ibu Zain’s story in a way that harmonised both heritage and digitalisation was one of the messages TM aimed to highlight about Malaysia’s unique make up and to celebrate both its history and aspirations during this Hari Kebangsaan.
On top of the Hari Kebangsaan film, audiences can also visit www.tm.com.my/mengukirmalaysia to immerse themselves into the world of Wayang Kulit, Ibu Zain and TM‘s Mengukir Malaysia initiative through videos, a 360º interactive Wayang Kulit experience, behind the scene content and many more.
Fans of Wayang Kulit can also visit TM‘s social media pages to use the Wayang Kulit filters and be part of the show.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Yayasan TM provides B40 students greater access to online learning with free sim cards
2,000 unifi Mobile #BEBAS SIM cards worth RM500,000 distributed to eligible students from B40 families through schools, institutions and in support of the Government’s initiatives. Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) via its foundation, Yayasan TM (YTM) recently provided free internet access to school students from B40 families nationwide to facilitate their home-based teaching and learning (PDPR) during this Movement Control Order (MCO) period. The unifi Mobile #BEBAS 15GB LTE SIM cards which come with 1-year FREE internet access worth RM250 were distributed to a total of 2,000 students, bringing the total contribution value to RM500,000. These eligible students were selected by their respective schools with priorities given to B40 students who will sit for main examinations in 2021. Commenting on the initiative, Abdul Hamid Hashim, Director of YTM said, "Every student has the right to gain equal access to education. We hope our humble effort will fulfil the students' need for internet connectivity during these challenging times so they can fully participate in the online learning process. This is even more crucial as these students will sit for important examinations this year." "YTM will continue to support TM Group's role as the trusted partner in nation building, with the focus on education and human capital development towards producing the digital workforce to enable Digital Malaysia," he added. Under the initiative, 1,200 unifi Mobile #BEBAS 15GB LTE SIM cards worth RM300,000 were distributed nationwide through Yayasan Raja Muda Selangor (300 SIM cards), District Education Offices (PPD) (300 SIM cards) and 11 schools (600 SIM cards). The 11 schools are: SMK Abi, Perlis SMK Sri Muda, Pulau Pinang SMKA Sultan Azlan Shah, Perak SMK Jalan Reko, Selangor SMK Bandar Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur SMK Cedung Jaya, Pahang SMK Alor Akar, Pahang SMK Datuk Bendahara, Melaka SMK Tun Perak, Johor SMK Tengku Mizan Zainal Abidin, Terengganu SMK Matang Jaya, Sarawak In addition, YTM also contributed another 800 SIM cards worth RM200,000 to low-income groups through TM's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes in support of the Government initiatives such as Tabung CERDIK and #MYBAIKHATI. Tabung CERDIK is an initiative among the Government-Linked Companies (GLC) and the Government-Linked Investment Companies (GLIC) to help B40 students with PDPR during the pandemic. Meanwhile, #MYBAIKHATI is an initiative under the People and Economic Strategic Empowerment Programme (PEMERKASA) with a similar objective, that reaches out to students from underprivileged families through PINTAR Foundation and Pusat Internet Komuniti (PIK). Yayasan TM Future Leaders Scholarship for SPM school-leavers 2021 YTM is also calling for students who have just received their SPM 2020 results to apply for Yayasan TM Future Leaders Scholarship 2021. Successful applicants will have a chance to further their studies in TM's education arm, Multimedia University (MMU). The deadline for application is on 20 June 2021; so hurry, visit http://bit.ly/yayasantmscholarship to apply or scan the below QR code: Recipients of YTM scholarships will not only receive financial aid throughout their studies but will also be attending self-development programmes while they are still in university to prepare them in entering the career world. YTM also focuses on developing talents, especially in critical thinking for leaders and future-proof workforce readiness among students after graduation. Since its establishment in 1994, YTM has awarded education sponsorship to more than 15,000 qualified students of high academic calibre from low-income families and multi-ethnic background to pursue their studies at government schools and universities in Malaysia and abroad by offering grants, bursary, allowances or financial supports with a total sponsorship value of over RM568 million. This continues to be pursued by YTM, which focuses on nurturing the right talent that will ultimately contribute to the growth of the Company, industry and nation. YTM hope that this effort will encourage the students to focus on their study and bridge the digital gap. Besides education, YTM also embarks on sustainable efforts to preserve our local heritage and culture. For more information on YTM, visit www.tm.com.my.
TM Inks MOU With ZTE For R&D Innovation Under Latest Strategic Partnership Programme
TM, Malaysia’s leading converged telco and technology company, has today entered into a MoU with ZTE Malaysia Corporation Sdn Bhd (ZTE), a global leader in information and communication technology solutions, to collaborate on a range of research and development innovations under its latest strategic partnership programme. The partnership will leverage TM and ZTE’s joint expertise to drive innovation and digital transformation for customers and industries, focusing on R&D opportunities and commercialisation, product and technology improvement, and the enhancement of TM’s digital talent ecosystem. The collaboration will also serve as an important step towards strengthening the nation’s digital and telco infrastructure, and empower Malaysia’s competitive edge in delivering cutting-edge solutions to the marketplace. Slated to run for a period of three years, the MoU was presided over by YB Fahmi Fadzil, Minister for Communications and Digital; YB Teo Nie Ching, Deputy Minister for Communications and Digital; Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Bin Fateh Din, Chairman; and Dato’ Mohd Ali Hanafiah Mohd Yunus, Chief Operating Officer for the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission respectively. The MOU was signed by TM’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Imri Mokhtar and ZTE’s Managing Director, Mr. Steven Ge. Building on TM and ZTE’s ongoing investments and commitment to R&D and innovation, the partnership aims to deliver new products and services, with TM serving as ZTE’s preferred business partner to deploy innovative solutions, go-to-market strategies, commercialisation, and networking across various markets and customer segments in Malaysia and regionally. The companies will also work on network and technology planning and overall digital transformation by bringing together Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Anything as a Service (XaaS) providers to develop customised end-to-end solutions for various industry sectors. Aside from technological developments and aligning with TM’s transformation as a human-centred TechCo, the collaboration will focus on enhancing TM's digital talent ecosystem, covering areas such as talent competency best practices, professional competency framework, technical training and certifications for digital transformation, as well as cross-border knowledge sharing on new technologies. Dato’ Imri Mokhtar, TM’s Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are pleased to partner with ZTE once more in providing new innovations that will serve today’s digital customers and industries. Spearheading these efforts will be TM’s R&D arm who will provide hardware testing and design enhancement, consultation on digital platform technologies, as well as integration solutions to ensure our offerings are market-ready. This MOU comes on the heels of another recent joint research in next generation access technology to enhance Malaysia’s high speed internet connectivity. Introducing the first ever 50Gbps bandwidth in Malaysia has prepared us to drive other innovative services such as 5G, Cloud VR, and intelligent manufacturing which will benefit communities, businesses and the Government.” Mr Steven Ge, ZTE’s Managing Director, concluded: “As a global leading provider of information and telco technology solutions, we’re looking forward to collaborating with Malaysia’s leading telco player. We’re confident that our collaboration will bring forth new innovations and solutions to address the growing needs of today’s digital markets. ZTE is also committed to supporting TM's digital transformation and talent ecosystem growth through our global expertise and resources. We believe that this partnership will create a win-win situation for both parties and set a new industry standard for strategic collaborations."
Communications and Multimedia Minister confident with nation’s digital infrastructure after visit to TM Network Operations Centre
Communications and Multimedia Minister, YB Tan Sri TPr Annuar Haji Musa expressed his confidence with the nation’s digital infrastructure to deliver Malaysia’s communications and digital aspirations for now and into the future. He expressed this after a working visit to the TM Network Operations Centre in Cyberjaya today. “I’m very happy with the visit today and from what I see, I’m confident that we have the people, capabilities and infrastructure to ensure 100% connection all over the country. We will leave no Malaysian behind,” YB Tan Sri TPr Annuar Haji Musa said after the visit. TM’s state of the art network operations centre serves as the brains of the nation’s digital and communications infrastructure managing over 600,000 km of communications cables and over 26,700TB data daily. The centre also monitors the health and operations of the 30 submarine cable systems that carries 1,990TB of internet data into and out of the country. Commenting on the visit, TM’s Chairman, Dato’ Mohammed Azlan Hashim said, “We are honoured to have YB Tan Sri TPr Annuar and his senior officers from the Ministry and MCMC with us. This visit gives us the opportunity to showcase the various customer segments we serve and the strength of digital technology available and ready to serve our customers.” “Befitting our unique and important role as the nation’s connectivity and digital infrastructure provider and the enabler of Digital Malaysia, we are ready to serve Keluarga Malaysia with our comprehensive communications and digital solutions. As a Government-Linked Company (GLC), TM remain commited to contribute towards the country's development through telecommunications and digital in support of the country's digital aspirations including JENDELA and MyDIGITAL towards accelerating the country towards a full-fledged Digital Malaysia by 2023,” he added. The visit today is expected to nurture even closer ties between both parties.