‘Turn Sifma into a yearly or biennial affair’

June 30, 2019

Abdul Karim, seen here with Snowdan arrives at the concert.

KUCHING: The inaugural ‘Sarawak International Festival of Music and Arts’ (Sifma) should be made a yearly or biennial affair, says Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

“The way I see it, we should not let this festival to be a one-off festival. I would love to see it held as a yearly or biennially event.

“With proper organisation and talented musicians in Sarawak, we could make this festival into another music event like the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), especially when we will have a performing arts centre ready in the next two years,” he said at the opening ceremony of the ‘Sifma Gala Concert’ in the old DUN Complex here on Friday night.

Jabatan Perpaduan dipuji kerana letak kepentingan pupuk, jaga perpaduan masyarakat

KOTA SAMARAHAN: Menteri Pelancongan, Kesenian, Kebudayaan, Belia dan Sukan Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah memuji Jabatan Perpaduan Bahagian Samarahan kerana meletakkan kepentingan untuk memupuk dan menjaga perpaduan masyarakat Asajaya melebihi kepentingan politik.

Beliau berkata pendekatan seumpama itu sepatutnya diambil oleh semua jabatan atau agensi kerajaan persekutuan di Sarawak.

“Kerajaan Pusat mempunyai tanggugjawab utk menyatupadukan rakyat Malaysia.

Guan Eng naive to think Sarawak will go bankrupt in 3 years, says minister

June 23, 2019

KUCHING: A Sarawak minister has described Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng as naive for warning that the state may become bankrupt in three years’ time.

“He must have assumed that the reserves would be depleted in three years,” said Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah in a comment on Lim’s remarks regarding the annual state budget.

“That reasoning would be correct only if there’s no revenue coming in and Sarawak spends only its reserves.

'Sarawak muflis', kenyataan bodoh daripada Menteri Kewangan - Abdul Karim

June 22, 2019

KOTA SAMARAHAN: Menteri Pelancongan, Kesenian, Kebudayaan, Belia dan Sukan Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah membidas kenyataan Menteri Kewangan Lim Guan Eng bahawa Sarawak akan bankrap jika terus ditadbir oleh GPS sebagai kenyataan yang bodoh yang tidak sepatutnya diucapkan oleh seorang Menteri Kewangan.

“Tanpa Sarawak, Malaysia boleh bankrap (kerana tiada sumber pendapatan dari Sarawak). Sebagai Menteri Kewangan, dia patut tahu. Diharapkan kita jangan terpedaya (dengan kenyataan Guan Eng),” kata beliau.

Abdul Karim berkata Guan Eng patut tahu bahawa agensi penarafan antarabangsa telah memberi penarafan kredit baik kepada Sarawak sejak 15 tahun yang lalu.

Rainforest in The City not to be missed — Abdul Karim

June 19, 2019

Abdul Karim talks about the full RFF2019 programme at the press conference, accompanied by Joe (left), Lee (second left) and others.

KUCHING: Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Mainmunah Iskandariah is expected to officiate at the launching ceremony of the Rainforest Fringe Festival 2019 (RFF2019) on July 5.

Among the highlights of the launching ceremony, which will be held at the Old State Legislative Assembly (DUN) building, is the ‘Lembaran Emas: Songket and Keringkam of Sarawak’ fashion show.

In a press conference held yesterday at Level 2, Baitulmakmur Complex, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said that the fashion show would feature designs from Malaysia’s ‘King of Fashion’ Dato Sri Bernard Chandran and Sarawak’s own ‘Queen of Bornean Fashion’ Dato Tom Abang Saufi.

Abdul Karim unperturbed by move to register S4S as political party

June 12, 2019

KUCHING: The move to register the ‘Sarawak for Sarawakians’ (S4S) movement as a political party does not worry Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah in the slightest.

The Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports said it was the right of S4S’ caretakers to venture into the political sphere as Malaysia is a democratic country.

“The more the merrier,” he quipped when contacted yesterday on the move by S4S to register itself as a political entity. “Anyone who wishes to register a political party is free to do so. But whether they are going to get support from voters remains to be seen.”

Give ‘committed’ Latheefa chance to prove herself as MACC chief’

June 7, 2019

KUCHING: Latheefa Koya should be given the opportunity to prove herself as the new Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner, says Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

He opined that based on her past involvement in Lawyers for Liberty and Bersih, she was someone very committed to a cause, and that this same level of commitment can now be applied to MACC.

“We have to give her a chance. Before this, she was a very committed activist and staunch party member of a certain party, but then it was announced that she has already quit from the party.