Looking forward to having tourism bubble arrangements in restarting Sarawak's tourism industry

Sarawak is seeking to set up a "tourism bubble arrangements with selected countries in view of economic activities which are expected to resume in this post Covid-19 vaccination period and our Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak (MTAC) will soon be announcing domestic tourism packages to support the local tourism sector.

I have mentioned this to our media friends after the opening ceremony of the ‘World Tourism Day 2021" celebration held last Monday and Sarawak will be more selective of the countries concerned as we work to restart tourism activities. 

Sarawak may probably work with Singapore first and to see how it goes from there and the setting up of a "green zone" or a "travel bubble" for tourists from Singapore is reasonable because it already had a very strict strategy in place towards Covid-19 containment.

Perhaps for tourists coming in from Singapore, maybe our restrictions can be loosened a bit if they have already completed two doses of Covid19 vaccination and another country that may be considered next is our neighbour, Brunei Darulsalam.

It is heartening to see that more flights coming into the state, such as those from Penang and Johor, will be restored soon and it would indirectly contribute to reviving our local tourism industry. Thus, our community must learn to live with Covid-19 situation because the nation had already undergone various levels of movement control order (MCO) since the outbreak in March last year.

We must also realise that 99% of the new Covid19 cases in the state were patients classified under Category 1 or 2 with no or mild symptoms only. My personal opinion is that we are already at the late stage of the Covid-19 pandemic and the most important thing right now is we have one of the highest vaccinate rates in the country.

Our full support to call by Federal Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) for local industry players to make early preparations ahead of national recovery plan

We fully support the call by Federal Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) which has asked local industry players to make early preparations ahead of the national recovery plan of entering the endemic phase.

This was stated by Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri who said the initial preparation works is important in terms of compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs) and new norms. This is also in line with the recent announcement by our Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob that the federal government will allow inter-state travel and will re-open tourist spots after the national vaccination rate reaches 90 percent.

The announcement is also a positive indication that our country’s tourism industry is on the road of recovery that is driven by domestic tourism activities. MOTAC also encourages Malaysian Families to make full use of the flexibility provided, adding that this was also an opportunity for tourism industry players to revive economic activities.

MOTAC also reminded all parties to render their full cooperation to ensure that the tourism and culture industry can move forward again. Thus, strong support from industry players is essential to ensure that the industry is back on track, in line with the Tourism Recovery Plan which was carefully compiled in July last year as a measure to revive the country's tourism industry and culture.

The Special Committee on Pandemic Management at national level has recently agreed to allow the opening of tourist destinations as well as inter-state travel when the vaccination rate of the adult population in the country reaches 90 percent.

In addition, the Prime Minister also announced that the operation of spas, wellness (health centres), and massage centres will also be allowed for customers and operators who have been fully vaccinated from 1 October.

Tourism centres and activities such as zoos, farms, aquariums, snorkelling, scuba diving, fishing, and forest parks will be allowed to operate in all phases of the National Recovery Plan effective Oct. 1 with all operators and visitors having completed their vaccinations.

Transforming our old Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (ADUN) building into another local iconic landmark

 I have informed our local folks that the transformation of the old Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) building into a Centre of Performing Arts will soon be another attractive landmark for Sarawakians.

I personally wish to see the local arts industry continue to be developed and I always guide myself that we want to see Kuching as a city with a soul and renovating the old DUN building will compliment our efforts in achieving these aspirations. 

Our media friends had seek my comments on this matter after the "Seni Perdana Dialogue" session which I attended recently and they were told that the contractor had already been identified to undertake the renovation works at the building at Petra Jaya but the Covid-19 pandemic had caused a delay in the project completion.

I have also mentioned that through the assistance of higher learning institutions and art schools, we hope there would be regular performances at the Centre of Performing Arts once the renovation project has been completed.

Hence, in the future I do hope tourists can spend a day at the Centre of Performing Arts of world-class standard appreciating the arts and cultural heritage of our state, apart from visiting other tourist attractions that are available here.

Through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak,  we would extend our fullest support to the arts industry players to further promote their craft and achieve a higher level of success, including through financial support.

I have also advised our local arts performers to contribute to Social Security Organisation (Socso) for them to enjoy benefits offered as part a social safety net, since they were most likely not members of Employees Provident Fund (EPF) like their counterparts in the public and private sector.

Looking forward to state-level National Sports Day 2021 (HSN2021) on October 10

We will having the state-level National Sports Day 2021 (HSN2021) on October 10 and it will be held on a modest scale at the Youth and Sports Complex of Jalan Tun Datuk Patinggi Haji Ahmad Zaidi Adruce. For Sarawak, we are targeting a total of 211,463 participants to be involved in various sports events based on programmes that will be held in Kuching and other divisions during the celebration which is expected to be officiated by our Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.

It was not last year due to Covid19 pandemic but this time round, the event will also be held in a hybrid format and it will be broadcasted via Sarawak’s Youth and Sports Department official Facebook page, so that those from other divisions across the state can witness the exciting event.

Kudos to HSN2021 which is a federal government’s initiative aimed at encouraging local folks to be active in sports and also ensuring that they would remain fit and healthy, in addition to strengthening the sports industry in Malaysia.

Contact sports would not be conducted during HSN 2021 in compliance with the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the activities that are to be held during the event which must always be complied with, including the wearing of face masks and social distancing.

In organising and running the programmes in Kuching or in other divisions in the state, all regulations and SOPs set by the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) and Ministry of Health must be complied with. Thus, we do hope that those involved in this celebration would strictly adhere to the SOPs when taking part in the sporting events that include aerobics, table tennis, Crossfit, as well as a ‘Fitness for Life’ webinar.

Calling on Semenanjung-based parties to exercise restraint and not to split us

In light of the recent issue on Perikatan Nasional (PN) plans in the forthcoming Sarawak's state elections (PRN), I have urged them not to spilt us by such actions. As the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice president, I have mentioned to our media friends that they (PN) and other Peninsular-based political parties must learn from the United Malay National Organisation (Umno) in respecting how the state wants to be governed only by local political parties. 

The local media wanted my comments on recent statements by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Sarawak chief, Senator Jaziri Alkaf Abdillah Suffian’s on PN’s presence in Sarawak is to strengthen Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) position in the state. 

We cannot deny that any registered political parties in Malaysia’s democracy system have the rights to expand and be political anywhere in the country. PN Sarawak must realise and understand how Sarawakians’ wants and needs that can only be understood by its own people. 

Our local folks want us to be on our own and to have a Sarawak political party looking after the state. This is why GPS was formed. I have also reminded others that GPS is not part of PN and vice versa despite how friendly and supportive of each other. 

I have also pointed out that GPS had vouch for support to PN in the formation of Malaysian government for the purpose of having a stable government and for the sake of stability. Even though in Parliament we are friendly and supportive of PN, it does not mean that we are part of them. The formation of the Malaysian government before this was based on PN plus GPS and it is not GPS within PN, but we are actually partners. 

Back then when the situation was uncertain, it had posed so much difficulties for all of us including doing businesses and our daily lives affected especially when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. We were supportive because the country needed stability, however it does not mean that in Sarawak we are going to accept the party just like that. 

At the same time, I called on PN and Bersatu to learn the lessons from Umno because despite all these years and out of all the states in Malaysia, Umno is still not present in Sarawak. You can be our friend but the moment the state election is near and you suddenly start setting up liaison office here and there, we will become suspicious. What do you want? After this, are you going to tell us that you want some seats here? Learn from Umno, we respect them because they respect us.

Giving our full support to our Chief Minister on the achievements of Sarawak Government to reinstate eroded state powers

We fully support the recent statements made by our Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg on the State Government which will be consulted on all federal legislations affecting Sarawak. Our Chief Minister had mentioned this was among the achievements made by the Sarawak government to reinstate eroded state powers.

According to him, our state government will be consulted in the drafting of federal legislations which have bearing or impact on the state government of Sarawak, where provided by law and he noted that we had made leaps and bounds in attaining eroded state powers.

This includes authorising state legal officers as authorised by the public prosecutor under the Criminal Procedure Code to conduct prosecution for offenc- es under state ordinances from the stage a person is charged in the lower court until the appeal stage. Similarly, the number of posts in the Sarawak Immigration Department is also being increased to improve the department’s enforcement functions in the state with the creation of 100 new posts.

Thirdly, increasing the ratio of Sarawak-born teachers serving in the state to about 90 percent of the total number of teachers in Sarawak and this to ensure that this target is achieved, temporary teachers from the open market are to be considered from time to time. On development initiatives, Our Chief Minister had announced the  priority would be given to the five-year Sarawak State Development Plan for planning of federal projects in the state based on the approved budget. 

Thus, the implementation of the projects will be referred or negotiated between the Federal Ministry and the state government such as determining the location of schools, hospitals and the implementation of other development projects particularly in rural areas.

Commending the setting up of first 10-Pin Bowling Sports Hub in Sarawak

We applaud the ini­tia­tive jointly undertaken by Ama­teur Ten­pin Bowl­ing As­so­ci­a­tion of Sarawak (Abas) and the Sarawak Sports Cor­po­ra­tion (SSC) in set­ting up a sports hub for 10-Pin bowl­ing which is timely and very much wel­comed.

I have mentioned to both parties that the sports hub will not only sup­port the Na­tional Sports Vi­sion 2030 but also fur­ther boost the de­vel­op­ment of the sport in the state. It is in­deed a won­der­ful pro­gramme be­cause it will sup­port the de­vel­op­ment of ten­pin bowl­ing in Sarawak and the col­lab­o­ra­tion be­tween ABAS and SSC that will boost the stan­dard of the game to a higher level.

We take our hats off to ABAS for be­ing the first as­so­ci­a­tion in Sarawak to build a sports hub as part of their long-term strat­egy to de­velop the lo­cal ten­pin bowl­ing fra­ter­nity to a higher level. Apart from boost­ing the qual­ity of sports de­vel­op­ment in Sarawak, this pro­gramme will also cul­ti­vate our high per­for­mance eco-sys­tem.

The sports hub is also aimed to po­si­tion Sarawak as a sports pow­er­house with world class ser­vices backed by good fa­cil­i­ties, holis­tic train­ing and coach­ing pro­grammes through the col­lab­o­ra­tive ef­forts of SSC and ABAS. It has al­ways been our vi­sion for Sarawak to be­come the sports pow­er­house in the coun­try and this can be achieved with the solid sup­port from all lo­cal sports as­so­ci­a­tions.

To­gether, we can achieve such vi­sion and many sports as­so­ci­a­tions such as Abas had al­ready paved ways for our lo­cal ath­letes to reach the pin­na­cle of their sport­ing ca­reers.

The Asa­jaya as­sem­bly­man com­mended Abas for its vi­sion­ary lead­er­ship and the con­tin­u­ous sup­port from its mem­bers in mak­ing Sarawak proud in many ways such as in­clud­ing hav­ing the priv­i­lege to be an in­ter­na­tional part­ner to Asian Bowl­ing Fed­er­a­tion (ABF) and In­ter­na­tional Bowl­ing Fed­er­a­tion (IBF).

Through the part­ner­ship with ABF, Sarawak is able to host and or­gan­ise many in­ter­na­tional events for the past six years and in terms of com­pe­ti­tion venue, Me­galanes Sarawak which started oper­a­tions in 2016, had also es­tab­lished it­self as a premier bowl­ing cen­tre in Asia ac­cord­ing to ABF and World Bowl­ing.

Sarawak can also be another ideal train­ing ground for our own na­tional bowlers; backup team and na­tional youth in their prepa­ra­tions for the 2028 Olympic Games in the US, where ten­pin bowl­ing is an­tic­i­pated to be in­cluded. Hence, Abas can play its role in sup­port­ing Me­galanes Sarawak to at­tain in­ter­na­tional stan­dards and sta­tus while stay­ing in con­tention with other Asian coun­tries on bid­ding rights to host Asian and World Bowl­ing events.

Thus, by hav­ing the lat­est train­ing equip­ment and reg­u­lar soft­ware up­grades at Me­galanes Sarawak, such fa­cil­i­ties will at­tract in­ter­na­tional par­tic­i­pants not only for com­pe­ti­tions but also their elite ath­letes and youth teams for train­ing and coach­ing pro­gramme in Sarawak.

Keeping our fingers crossed for the tourism bub­ble ini­tia­tive could be im­ple­mented in Sarawak soon

Recently I have shared my comments with the local media fraternity in which we hope for the tourism bub­ble ini­tia­tive could be im­ple­mented in Sarawak, fol­low­ing the success story in Langkawi. Our Min­istry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak to­gether with the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) and the Sarawak Busi­ness Events (BESarawak) have many tourism pro­grammes and prod­ucts that should have been an­nounced in early March, but had to be put on the back­burner due to the Covid-19 pan­demic.

These pro­grammes and prod­ucts would be an­nounced soon, upon the re­open­ing of the ‘tourism gates. When the tourism sec­tor opens, we are expecting a lot of tourists to come into Sarawak and the ‘Langkawi Tourism Bub­ble’, which kicked off last Thurs­day, sig­ni­fied the peo­ple’s ex­cite­ment and an­tic­i­pa­tion over re­turn­ing to travel af­ter be­ing in a pro­longed lock­down.

There­fore, if the tourism bub­ble started in Langkawi for Penin­su­lar Malaysia, we also hoped that the same ini­tia­tive could be im­ple­mented in Sarawak, with Mulu and Niah be­ing amongst the po­ten­tial des­ti­na­tions. I be­lieve YB Datuk Seri Hajah Nancy Shukri, our Min­is­ter of Tourism, Arts and Cul­ture or MOTAC would con­sider im­ple­ment­ing this ini­tia­tive in Sarawak.

If this tourism bub­ble is im­ple­mented in Sarawak, I be­lieve the same stan­dard op­er­at­ing pro­ce­dures (SOP) would be ap­plied as those used in Langkawi and the success of such ini­tia­tive would be a yard­stick for the gov­ern­ment in open­ing up more tourist des­ti­na­tions na­tion­wide in the fu­ture.

Thanking our local youths for supporting our "Kembara Semarak Merdeka 2021" programme

I thanked the local youths at Asajaya constituency in Samarahan for supporting the ‘Kembara Semarak Merdeka 2021’ programme which was launched at Asajaya District Office last weekend. Their presence and show of support to the programme is important because it shows our youths do appreciate and value the meaning of the country’s independence. 

Our country's independence is very significant and it must be defended by our youthful generation who will be inheriting all of these from the nation’s leaders from the present and the past.  As this is of great significance, that is why the government has organised various programmes in conjunction with the independence month. It is aimed to create awareness and instil understanding among the people especially the youths at all strata of the society.

I have also pointed out that our young generation are very fortunate for inheriting independence that have enabled all of us to live comfortably and in peace harmony. We therefore urged all of our youths to continue playing their role in strengthening the existing unity between the state as well as country’s multiracial and multiethnic community. No matter how the situation is, our unity is crucial because it contributes to the establishment of effective administration, political stability and social peace harmony that will ensure holistic development will continue to take place for our state and country.

Thanking SOSCO for handing over benefits to family of late Saufi Aiman Yahya, our talented Sape player

Syukur alhamdlullilah the family of our late Sape player, Saufi Aiman Yahya had recently received benefits from Social Security Organisation (Socso) in a brief handing over ceremony which was held at my office in Bangunan Baitul Makmur II, Petra Jaya Kuching.

Saufi was 31 at the time of his demise and his passing was a great shock to all of us because he was still young with a bright future ahead of him in view of the popularity gained as a world class Sape player as well as the international music award won back in 2017.

He won 4 gold medals and a silver medal at the 21st World Championships of Performing Arts Awards (WCOPA) held in Long Beach, California USA. Apart from that, the late Saufi also had written a book on his experience in playing Sape for 10 years and also for winning the World Instrumentalist Award in the classic, contemporary and open categories. 

I thanked SOSCO Sarawak led by its director, Encik Philip Sangkan who invited me to witness the cheque handing over ceremony to Saufi's father, Encik Yahya Sulaiman and his wife wjo eligible to receive the claims as the late Sape player was still single at the time of his death.

Socso, upon a probe by its Perkeso Prihatin team, found the late Saufi had contributed to the Self-Employment Social Security Scheme as a Self-Employed Insured Person (OBBS) commencing on June 2 this year under the Arts Sector.

It said contributions paid under the scheme were still within the coverage period and this entitles the heirs of the Insured Person to receive Dependent Benefits under the Occupational Disaster Scheme, Employees Social Security Act 1969.

Saufi's parents as next-of-kin were eligible to receive the payment of Funeral Benefit amounting to RM2,000 and subsequently would receive the payment of monthly pension benefits for life. May Allah SWT will bless his soul. Al-fatihah

Urging the Election Commission (EC) to consider virtual voting approach

Recently I have urged the Election Commission (EC) to consider virtual voting in the coming 12th Sarawak State Election for the safety of voters and others in view of prevailing Covid-19 pandemic in our country. The casting of votes electronically could be a way for elections to be held in the future amid the uncertainty we are facing and the changes to the current system in a way would also encourage more voters to exercise their rights.

While the EC may consider this but it also needs to ensure that the virtual voting would really be effective before implementing it. To me, we are now in the digital era and surely the people already know which party they want to vote for in this coming State Election.

Maybe one day we will opt for digital (e-voting), maybe our election mode can be changed. But for now, it’s good to prolong the election period, or perhaps use MySejahtera to vote?  What matters is that the system works fine and the election results will not be tempered with.

We could consider extending the voting period to one month which had been done before in the 1970s and I had also come across some articles pointing out that the elections in the 80s were held in a prolonged manner. The last time it was done was due to logistics but this time round, maybeby  dragging on an election period can be adopted to curb the spread of Covid-19.

What’s important is ensuring that the election process and voting be carried out in a more controlled manner to curb the spread of Covid-19. Presently, our voters will have to queue at their respective polling stations and wait for their turn to cast their ballot. Thus, this may cause inconvenience to certain voters such as senior citizens.

They have to go to the polling station, queue either in the hot sun or in the rain. If scanning (e-voting) can be used, why not? I would support any new measures introduced by the EC to ensure the safety and wellbeing of voters during this pandemic.

I am fully behind it if the EC felt that a staggered election is required as a control measure to hold the next state election in a safe manner but we also need to see if Sarawak or Peninsular Malaysia has achieved herd immunity so that the virus would not spread and pose a threat to lives.

I believe our voters these days are more informed and already know who they will vote for. As such, prolonging the election period should not be an issue or a challenge to the contending parties in the next polls. It depends on the government and the EC has to decide whether the election shall be a short or a long one. But we want what is best for the people.

Giving credits and incentives to our deserving Paralympians

There's no doubt our State Government is expected to give incentives and awards of recognitions to both Bonnie Bunyau Gustin and Jong Yee Khie, the two Sarawakian Paralympians who had brought honor and glory to Malaysia in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic.

I have mentioned this because the Federal government through the national sports incentive scheme (Shakam) is also awarding certain incentives to the two deserving athletes who made us proud at the international scene.

We are very proud that five Sarawakians were among the 22 para-athletes who were sent to represent the country in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Games. Bonnie and Jong have scarified a lot to be the best which resulted in their success and achievements. 

The sacrifices and achievements by our deserving athletes are often rewarded by the government. I personally think it is best to wait for the announcement from the federal side on what they will be awarded with. The State government would usually follow suit and make its announcement after that. Although the state government does not have a specific chart, based on previous experiences the incentive would be half of what is given by the federal government. However, this matter will be brought to our State cabinet first before it is announced.

Similarly, the matter on the awards of recognitions for the two athletes, it would be discussed in the State cabinet but I believe that the state government will consider awarding them with a State awards for the glory and honor they have brought to Malaysia and Sarawak.  I personally support this, but at the same time I do believe that incentive is more important as it will help the athletes for the rest of their lives.