All set for the New Year 2024 Countdown celebration to be held at Kuching Waterfront

The centre stage is set for the "New Year 2024 Countdown" celebration which will be held at our Kuching Waterfront on December 31. I took the time to visit the venue last night and was delighted with the preparation works undertaken by the various organising committee members consisting of those from Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak (MTCP). its agencies and also from local governments bodies. 

This year's countdown event is expected to be unique because we will also be launching the tallest flagpole in Malaysia and in Southeast Asia. Standing at 99 metres, the flagpole is also the tallest in Borneo Island and our Right Honourable Premier of Sarawak will grace the official launching ceremony just before midnight.

The new iconic structure is the pride of all Sarawakians and Malaysians who had taken countless photographs with the flagpole as the backdrop. The flagpole itself is another tourism attraction at our Kuching Waterfront and is a crowd puller especially among tourists. 

Courtesy visit by officials from Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia (MOTAC)

It was pleasure for me to receive the courtesy call from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia (MOTAC) delegation which was led by YBhg. Dato' Roslan Tan Sri Abdul Rahman, the ministry's Secretary General. Among the matters that were discussed were the organizing of the next year's ASEAN Tourism Committee Meeting (ATCM) that will take place in Kuching City.

Also present during the courtesy visit were Encik Mohd. Shahrir Mohd. Ali,  the Director of International Promotion Division (Southeast Asia), Tourism Malaysia; Mr. Khairolnizam Saad, Chief Assistant Senior Secretary, Tourism Policy and International Relations Division, MOTAC; Puan Debbie anak Genggut Nyelang, Director of MOTAC Sarawak; Ooi Bee Ling the Special Officer to KSU MOTAC; Mr. Mohammad Shahnizam Mohd Haniff, Tourism Policy and International Relations Division, MOTAC; Mrs. Shanina Samsuri of International Promotion Division (Southeast Asia), Tourism Malaysia and Mr. Mohd Hizir Rembeli from Tourism Malaysia Sarawak.

All set for the third edition of Sukan Sarawak (SUKSAR) to be held in Sibu next year

We gave our thumbs up to Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) and Sarawak State Sports Council (MSN Sarawak) for organising the third edition of "Sukan Sarawak' or SUKSAR which will be held in Sibu on 15 to 18 January 2024. A total of 1,365 athletes from all will converge on Sibu next year for the Sarawak Games.

The athletes are divided into 4 zones namely Northern Zone consisting of Limbang, Miri, Bintulu; Central Zone is to be represented by Sibu, Mukah, Kapit; Western Zone by Sarikei, Betong, Sri Aman and the Southern Zone consists of Serian, Samarahan, Kuching.

There are a total of 178 gold medals, 178 silver medals and 279 bronze medals will be up for grabs in 13 sports that will be held at 11 different venues in Sibu. The Southern Zone contingent is fielding the biggest number of athletes with 376, followed by Central Zone with 361 athletes, Northern Zone with 344 athletes and Western Zone with 284 athletes.

We also take this opportunity to thank our media friends who had given their full support towards the publicity on SUKSAR III which will feature weightlifting, cycling, basketball, volleyball, futsal, hockey, judo, karate, silat, sepak takraw, boxing, taekwondo and wushu.

The main objective of Suksar is to scout talents for next year's Malaysia Games (Sukma) backup squad and prepare them for the 21st edition of the games to be held in Sarawak in August next year. We need to organise Suksar that will also help dormant sports associations in the state to be more active while organising competitions.

We also want to introduce core sports to every zone in Sarawak through Suksar which the Northern Zone were the champions in the  first edition of the games held in Kuching in 2017 where  only 14 events were held.

Looking forward to the completion of Sarawak Brooke Dockyard Maritime Heritage Museum

Recently I attended the project updates and briefing session on Sarawak Brooke Dockyard Maritime Heritage Building which is located just nearby our Kuching City Mosque. I thank the those involved in the two sessions which were much welcomed in view of the project's timeline. Upon completion, the museum will be another iconic place to visit for both domestic and foreign tourists because it will showcase the rich heritage of ship building industry in Sarawak. It is also going to showcase the historical legacy of local boats, ethnic groups, riverine and coastal activities.

It was named after the Brooke family and even locals are not aware of the extensive ship building and repairs works undertaken at the Brooke Dockyard over the past century. It was initially established in 1912 during the rule of Sarawak's White Rajah, Charles Brooke and only in 1977 the dockyard was taken over as Sarawak Government's fully owned government statutory body under the BDEWC Ordinance (Cap.100).

Kudos to the organisers of “Southeast Asia International Art Camp 2023” and the launch of “The South-East Asian ArtLiST Vol. 1” book.

We congratulated our local artist, Gerald Goh and his great team for having organised the “Southeast Asia International Art Camp 2023” and the launching of the book entitled “The South-East Asian ArtLiST Vol. 1”. The inaugural “Southeast Asia International Art Camp 2023” was held in Kuching City to celebrate the vibrant and artistic spirits of Southeast Asia and to showcase the diverse talents of the artist community in this region. 

I was invited to be the guest of honour for the launching which was held at The Spring shopping complex and in my speech, I have commended the organisers for giving us a good insight into the creative soul of Southeast Asia while revealing its depth and passion through the captivating works of those coming from different countries. 

There were a lot of local and foreign masters, young talents who are involved including few artists with special needs. Essentially, we can tell these two events are well received by the Southeast Asian artist communities simply by seeing their enormous support and participation.

I have also mentioned the Sarawak Government through the leadership of our Right Honourable Premier of Sarawak had always welcomed and support the staging of international events which promote the creative industry development agenda. This is also important we need to give exposure and to promote Sarawak as the upcoming “creative hub” in Malaysia and even at international stage.

Gerald Goh was awarded a fourth Malaysia Book of Records’ title for being the first Malaysian to paint at Claude Monet’s residence in France. It is a prestigious recognition, bestowed upon him for the fourth time and it is not merely a personal milestone. It is a testament to the power of dreams, the tenacity of the human spirit, and the transformative nature of art.

Goh’s second book which entitled ‘The Southeast Asian ArtLiST Vol.1’ is the compilation of art pieces by local and international artists, and individuals with special needs. The three-day Southeast Asia International Art Camp 2023 had gathered a total of 40 artists from the Southeast Asian region. They are participating in the discovery camp on the beauty of the architecture and lifestyle of Sarawak which include visits to Kuching Old Bazaar and Damai. 

Achieving our 3 million visitors target sooner than expected

 The year 2023 has been great for tourism in Sarawak with the target of 3 million visitors achieved two months before the year ends. I was satisfied with the overall key performance index (KPI) of the tourism ministry, particularly on achieving the target of 2 million visitors in 2022 and 3 million visitors this year.

In general, I consider the whole year of 2023 to be a good year for the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak (MTCP) and for everything that we have done...we have achieved our targets, particularly on the arrival of visitors. In terms of administration of state affairs, our financial management and policies continue to drive development, aside from the state government being regarded as a “close friend” of the Federal government.

Every time our Right Honourable Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim comes to Sarawak, he is always very impressed and inspired about the administration of Sarawak and the unity among races here. Thus, it is important for a multiethnic society to continue stay tolerant and moderate to respect various religions and backgrounds for a more harmonious relationship.

Sarawak government will also continue to be a strong supporter of the local creative and arts industry, including establishing the Centre of Performing Arts at the old State Legislative Assembly (DUN) building. Another upcoming project is the Sarawak Arts Centre, which will be set up at the heritage building previously housing the Kuching Municipal Council (KMC) office, opposite the Central Police Station near Padang Merdeka in Kuching City.

Program Sunathon 2.0 Asajaya gets warm response from youngsters

It was a pleasure for us to organise the recent "Program Sunathon 2.0" at Asajaya in Kota Samarahan on 18 December where it was participated by total of 82 young boys who had gathered early in the morning for the mass circumcision. I have always supported this annual program because it had helped our local folks in Asajaya to lessen their financial burden in getting their sons circumcised. 

The mass circumcision program can ease the burden of the needy, especially the B40 group because the cost is around RM100 to RM250 per person. In this matter, it is a bit burdensome if a family has more than one son who needs to be circumcised at the same time. Therefore an opportunity like this, which is a mass circumcision program, needs to be taken advantage of, especially by low-income families, as the cost of circumcision continues to increase every year.

This year's program was organized by the Health Clinic Advisory Panel together with the Asajaya Health Clinic and was held at the An-Najah Mosque. The mass circumcision program is very appropriate to be held during the school holidays because the children are busy during the school day, so the school holiday season is the most appropriate time for parents or guardians to make plans to get their children circumcised. The circumcision program was also assisted by staff of Masjid An-Najah committee members and a medical team involving medical doctors and nurses.

 

Looking forward to the New Year 2024 Countdown on December 31

The forthcoming "Countdown 2024" celebrations will be centred at the Kuching Waterfront on December 31 and the event is Sarawak's way of ushering in the new year with a bang. It will be a grand countdown celebration featuring concerts and fireworks as well as the official launch of Malaysia's tallest flagpole, located nearby our Sarawak Legislative Assembly Building (DUN). This flagpole will be another iconic landmark for Kuching and it will be launched by our Right Honourable Premier of Sarawak, Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg just before the yer 2024 countdown.

Even though there was some criticism levelled at the the gigantic flagpole but it had become our source of pride. It hs also become the favourite backdrop for photo taking by the locals and visitors. For the record, the 99 meter high flagpole was funded by the private sector as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) while our state government did not incur any cost.

There will be lots of arts and cultural activities would be held at Kuching Waterfront in the daytime, followed by concerts at night. Ahead of the countdown, there will be performances from local dance groups and singers including local singers who include Firdaus Matrang, Raquel Then, Richmond Allan Morshidi, Bob Yunus and Karen Libau.

After the countdown, there will be a fireworks display and another concert by national artistes such as Datuk Amy Search, Datuk Zainal Abidin, Hael Husaini, Floor 88 and De Fam. The grand event is our way of appreciating what we had experienced throughout 2023 as the year has brought much cheer to us and certainly we look forward to the new year 2024.

Sarawak will stick to its youth age limit criteria

I have mentioned to our media friends that Sarawak will not be following the Federal government’s decision to lower the youth age limit from 40 to 30 starting the year 2026. The revision will affect the committee line-up in youth associations and the National Youth Council, as they cannot be older than 30 years old.

At this point in time, we will not be following the federal government’s decision (to lower the youth age limit). Sarawak can decide on the youth age limit at the state-level, and we have our own ways of deciding this. I was asked to comment on this matter during the press conference at the State Legislative Assembly in Petra Jaya, Kuching. I have pointed out that Sarawak had only recently reduced the youth age limit from 45 to 40, and I believed it will continue to be lowered in the future.

I have also cited the Sarawak United National Youth Organisation (SABERKAS), which practises a hybrid formula in the committee line-up whereby about 70% of its committee members are aged between 18 and 40. We allocate about 30 per cent of the committee to those above 40 years old.

This is because Sarawak believes the senior members can still guide the younger generation in better administrating and managing an association. With that said, I have mentioned our State government is determined in acknowledging the potential of the youth, as evidenced by the number of candidates aged below 40 who were fielded in the recent elections.

Recently the Federal Youth and Sports Minister, YB Hannah Yeoh had said the revision to the youth age limit with come into effect Jan 1, 2026, when the Youth Societies and Youth Development (Amendment) Act 2019 comes into force. Among others, the amendment will set the age limit of youth society office bearers to 18 to 30 years old.

My personal comments on Palestinian refugees issue

Matters concerning the acceptance of Palestinian refugees must first be decided by Malaysia's Federal Government and I had commented on this issue raised by activists and non-governmental organizations (NGO) heads who had expressed concern that radicals could enter the country if Sabah and Sarawak fail to exercise autonomy over their borders.
“There is no need to jump the gun. The federal government has yet to make a decision but there are already NGOs commenting. Who are you? Wait for the prime minister to announce the decision. Don’t jump the gun”. These were the response I have made to the local media who had requested my comments.
I have added that ministers should not be influenced by unreasonable NGO views and should instead follow existing protocols.
If the federal government has made a decision, then we can give our views. But since the federal government has not decided on this matter, there is no need to comment on what NGOs have said. Malaysia always sympathised with those who are victims of war, citing Vietnam and Bosnia-Herzegovina as examples. 

Sarawak Tourism Board enters Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Malaysia Airlines at WTM2023

Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) had recently entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with national carrier, Malaysia Airlines at the sidelines of the ongoing World Tourism Mart 2023 (WTM2023) in London, United Kingdom (UK).

This is a much welcomed strategic move by both parties and I am glad to have been invited to witness the symbolic signing ceremony held recently at WTM2023, ExCEL conference and convention centre in London. It is our hope for the MoU will pave the way for both STB and Malaysia Airlines to synergise and to collaborate in key areas for mutual benefits. 

Our appreciation to our partners from Malaysia Airlines for having agreed to the signing ceremony being held in conjunction with this year's WTM London and we look forward to the next step in forging better days ahead.

Great response to Sarawak Pavillion at World Tourism Mart 2023 in London, UK

The response towards our "Sarawak Pavillion" at the ongoing World Tourism Mart 2023 (WTM2023) in London, UK was just splendid. There were a lot of visitors coming to the pavillion including from delegates of other participating countries. 

One thing for sure, the Sarawak Pavillion was one of those which was colourful decorated and had showcased an array of exhibits that caught the attention of visitors. I have been in London the past few days together with delegation members from Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak (MTCP), Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) and other related parties. 

The WTM2023 is being held at Excel conference and convention centre in London and it is also participated by Tourism Malaysia together 49 tourism-related organizations of Malaysia. Our nation's delegation include tour operators, hotels, resort, state tourism agencies, tourism associations, airline company, tourism-related services providers and Malaysia Health Tourism Council (MHTC).

We appreciate the organising of WTM which had long served as a vital avenue to introduce Malaysia and Sarawak's tourism attractions to meet the demand as well as interest of the UK and European markets. The event is one of the suitable platforms for international tourism industry players to meet up and to plan their future strategies on global stage. 

For the record, the UK market had played an important role in Sarawak's tourism industry resurgence with impressive forms in which from January to September this year alone, there were 18,833 visitors from the United Kingdom. The growth rate of their arrival is approximately 216.7% and as such, this segment is impressive, as compared to the same period last year when we hosted 5,944 UK visitors. We are also optimistic based on current trends, there would be around 25,110 visitor arrivals from UK coming into Sarawak for 2023.

Update on drug abuse situation and offences in Sarawak from January to October 2023

A total of 9,198 arrests for drug offences have been recorded in Sarawak from January to October 2023. I have revealed this matter based on statistics from the police’s Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (JSJN), majority or 6,871 of the arrests were made following urine tests while 1,853 were for possession of drugs and 474 for supplying drugs. 

In terms of value of confiscated drugs, he said it was estimated to be more than RM137 million while the assets forfeited are valued at about RM5 million. The figures mentioned might look big, partly because our population is increasing.If you compare the 9,000 arrests to the 2.8 million population in Sarawak, it is very small. 

In terms of index of those involved in drugs throughout Malaysia, Sarawak is among the third lowest (in terms of numbers). Despite Sarawak being almost as big as the Peninsula and our borders are so porous be it from sea or land our index is still very low. I have informed our media friends during the press conference after chairing the Sarawak-level Anti Drug Action Council (MTMD) meeting recently. 

Even though there had been major arrests made, the drugs involved were not for local distribution because Sarawak is being used as transit for distribution to neighbouring countries. We do not need to be so alarmed but it is good to be conscious about that. 

Being the Sarawak chapter chairman of Malaysia Drugs Prevention Association (Pemadam), I have also mentioned two areas, namely Kampung Haji Baki in Kuching and Kampung Baru in Samarahan which were identified as high-risk areas this year for drug-related activities. As such, various activities are being held to ‘greenify’ the two areas. 

These areas have achieved green status based on the set indicators achieved. However, continuous efforts are being intensified so that this green status can be maintained through the collaboration of all parties through the strategies of prevention, enforcement and treatment programmes as well as recovery. 

Among them are preventing new addicts, maintaining the recovery rate, increasing the detection of drug addicts, increasing the cooperation and involvement of agencies and communities in blocking the entry of drugs. Also present at the press conference were National AntiDrug Agency (AADK) deputy director-general (Operations) Khairul Anuar Bachok, AADK Sarawak director Hemediee Ibrahim, and Director of Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas), Samuel Simon.

Good words for Sarawak Government by our Prime Minister of Malaysia

The Right Honourable Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Anwar ahad good words for our government as Sarawak is now ahead in many areas compared to other states in the federation.

According to him, it was mentioned in the Parliament recently that, in terms of electric vehicles, Sarawak is moving ahead. In terms of hydrogen and gas, Sarawak also ahead of the rest. Datuk Seri Anwar had also thanked our Premier, the Right Honourable Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Abang Haji Openg for his leadership and his team who should be the example on managing and bringing Sarawak to the highest level. He had mentioned that due to weak management, it will burden not only the federal government but also the people whose welfare and well being are most important.

Datuk Seri Anwar had mentioned all of the praises during his speech at the official launching of Raia Hotel and Convention Centre in Kuching recently in which he had also touched on how he had rebuked several opposition members of parliament for not understanding the history of Malaysia’s formation by questioning the approval of big allocations for Sabah and Sarawak.

He said they questioned approvals such as the Pan Borneo Highway mega project, which they claimed was a lot for the two Borneo states. According to him, such situation brings an unhealthy polemic of pitting Sabah and Sarawak against the peninsula. He strongly reprimand such attitude that does not understand the history of the founding of Malaysia and the history of MA63 (the Malaysia Agreement 1963).

The Prime Minister said there are commitments which the federal government must make to Sabah and Sarawak which include their position – they became independent later (than the rest of Malaya) so there are areas where they are a bit behind in terms of infrastructure. He mentioned that it is our responsibility as a team – a union – to take appropriate actions.

Datuk Seri Anwar also said that justice is about putting things rightfully in their place, and the two states have more needs to catch up with the peninsula. Because of this, he had tasked Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof to lead the Cabinet committee to immediately implement the approval of sufficient allocations to complete the Pan Borneo Highway. “For me, it is not something like favouring Sabah and Sarawak but for me, this is fulfilling trust and doing justice,” he stressed.