Topic: - The Prog. - General
KUALA LUMPUR: A government backbencher this Thursay called on the private sector to contribute funds to the government for the national spaceman programme.
Datuk Badruddin Amirulddin (BN-Jerai) said the private sector's support was needed to ensure the programme, research and development (R&D) efforts in space and aerospace exploration be continued and enhanced.
"I suggest for the private sector including corporate firms to allocate their profits to assist the government develop the spaceman programme so that we can produce more astronauts in the future," he said when debating the Supply Bill 2008 in the Dewan Rakyat.
He also urged the private sector, especially those involved in the aerospace industry, to take advantage of the spaceman programme by doing more R&D for the benefit of the country and its people.
In his speech, he congratulated the country's first spaceman, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustafa, and lauded the programme for being able to draw the interest and unify the people who were clearly proud with the achievement.
"All races, on the launch day, witnessed it and were elated. Then, we, as Malaysians, were proud and pleased that our spaceman took off safely and will now return home.
"It shows that even though we are a small and modest country, we can still move forward," Badruddin said.
He said the programme also created an interest and hope among the younger generation to deeply venture into science and aspire to be called an astronaut.
"The spaceman programme has heightened the interest of students in science and this can produce highly knowledgeable human capital in the future," he said.
He hoped that one day, Malaysian astronauts would be allowed to stay longer in space to carry out more indepth research.
Dr Sheikh Muszaphar took off from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, with two other spacemen for the International Space Station on Oct 10 and returned to earth on Sunday.
Source: Bernama.com