Sarawak will not adopt Putrajaya’s concert guidelines

Sarawak government will not adopt the Federal government’s new guidelines for foreign artistes who are keen to perform locally because we already have our own set of guidelines for concerts.

But, of course, we do not want to see foreign artistes performing naked on stage. There are certain rules that they have to follow, but we have to be flexible. I have mentioned to our media friends on past occasion where two foreign artistes who took part in last year’s Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak would not have been allowed to perform in other states because of their attire and performance. There will be no way for them to get a permit if they were to perform in Kuala Lumpur, but we had allowed it. Such situation had reflected the independence or autonomy that we have here in Sarawak, we can make our own decisions.”

I was interviewed by our media friends on the concerns raised stakeholders in the entertainment industry on impacts of the new guidelines for concerts which will come into effect in 2024. It prohibits foreign artistes from holding large concerts and live performances on the eve of Islamic public holidays and on the holiday itself.

The prohibition also covers the entire month of Ramadan, Awal Muharram, Maulidur Rasul, Israk Mikraj, Nisfu Sya’ban, Nuzul Quran, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Hari Raya Aidiladha. Male foreign artistes are also prohibited from cross-dressing as women, and both male and female foreign acts are strictly not allowed from removing any clothing during their performance.

Defending Malaysia's Ministry of Youth and Sports "Jom Ziarah Gereja" programme

I have expressed my personal views on the recent controversy over the "Jom Ziarah Gereja" programme which organised by Malaysia's Ministry of Youth and Sports in which it is a noble effort. It was good for the people of different religions and backgrounds where they can understand the faith of others. 

I have come to the defence of our Federal Youth and Sports Minister, YB Hannah Yeoh because she had good intentions of promoting harmony and tolerance especially among young Malaysians. It was a shame that her intentions had been misconstrued by others as an attempt to convert the Muslims.

I think we do not have that problem in Sarawak. A lot of us, including myself, go to mission schools, and we can understand each other. I even took up Scripture in Form Five. Bible Knowledge was one of the subjects that I took. It does not make me less Muslim, it does not convert me or make me leave my religion.

Don't tell me Muslims are so low in understanding or in their faith, that when you bring them to a church they would convert. As a Muslim, I feel ashamed with people like this coming up with 'masuk ziarah gereja, terus terpikat' (visit a church, be captivated immediately). To me, YB Yeoh's detractors had likely made their claims for political mileage.

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Sarawak United National Youth Organization (SABERKAS)

Last weekend we launched the 50th golden jubilee anniversary celebration of our Sarawak United National Youth Organization (SABERKAS) and it was done on a modest scale at Padang SLPAS of Jalan Muhibbah, Satok. As president of the organization, I urged our members to continue their good job in reaching out to our local youths from all strata of the society.

We need to keep up the good work and SABERKAS has succeeded in producing many high-calibre leaders in the state. This was proven during the 15th General Election whereby many candidates from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) are our members. If I’m not mistaken, there were around 11 Saberkas members who contested as GPS candidates in the last Sarawak's 15th General Election (GE15), 

Over the years, Saberkas had organised numerous programmes for every level of society regardless of race and ethnic background. This is because we are an non-governmental organisation (NGO) that can bring benefits to all races in Sarawak. It is the responsibility of our organization to ensure that friendly ties between all races remain close without any racial issues arising. 

All round support to Safe Sports Code by Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS)

We are all out to support the introduction of the Safe Sports Code by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) which covers the rights and welfare of our country’s athletes and sports community. The code which was officially launched by our Minister of Youth and Sports, YB Puan Hannah Yeoh on March 16 will serve as a guideline for a safe sports environment that emphasises the roles and responsibilities of all parties in dealing with any form of harassment and abuse.

I was also invited to represent Sarawak in the signing ceremony by all youth and sports Exco from various states who gave their full support towards the good initiative which is the way forward for the Malaysian sports fraternity to develop further.

It could also strengthen the aspect of integrity in the governance of sports bodies and the national sports ecosystem as a whole. Apart from that, the code defines the types of misconduct that occur in sports based on international guidelines as well as local laws. Such move would increase the public’s knowledge and awareness of harassment and abuse in sports.

The defined roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders such as athletes, coaches, sports bodies, parents and sports-related organisations are included as well as existing reporting mechanisms that all relevant individuals can use.

The code covers the procedures to be adopted to handle complaints about harassment and abuse in the sports industry, in place of the Safe Sports Act, which will be introduced in the future. It will apply to all sports tournaments including this year’s Malaysia School Sports Council (MSSM) tournament which starts on July 15.

The code is to ensure a safe ecosystem for children to play sports and a more binding space in the context of ensuring they are protected including from sexual harassment, bullying, grooming and so on. It is based on the Olympics code which includes aspects of ethics, protection, the role of parents and the sports community as well as access to lodge complaints involving sexual harassment and bullying incidents.

We are ready to host the 21st edition of Malaysia Games (SUKMA) in 2024

We are ready to host the 21st edition of Malaysia Games (SUKMA) in 2024 and Sarawak is up to the task of hosting the nation's largest sporting event. We are delighted that Sarawak was officially named as the host for Sukma 2024, taking the Games back to the state for the third time after the 1990 and 2016 editions.

I have mentioned to our media friends in Putrajaya that before this, it was announced that Sarawak can be the next Sukma host and I had brought this matter up in the Sarawak Cabinet meeting and it was agreed that we can host the 21st Sukma. We were optimistic of hosting the next Sukma because there is enough facilities to host the Games except for a velodrome for track cycling.

The Sukma 2024 competitions will not only in Kuching but also in other divisions including Miri, Sibu and Sri Aman. We thanked Federal's Minister of Youth and Sports, YB Puan Hannah Yeoh and members of the Sukma Supreme Committee for their support in giving the hosting job to Sarawak. Our Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Sarawak will meeting soon together with all the sports associations, government departments and agencies to ensure we will be ready to host the Games successfully.

Sarawak to host 21st edition of Malaysia Games (SUKMA) in 2024

It is now official that Sarawak will become host for the 21st edition of Malaysia Games (SUKMA) in 2024 and the announcement was made by YB Hannah Yeo, Minister of Youth and Sports Malaysia during the press conference which was held at Putrajaya, Federal Territory on March 16. 

We welcome the official announcement with much anticipation and thanking all members of the SUKMA Supreme Committee for their trust in giving us the job. The last time Sarawak became host was in 2016 and the 20th edition of the games were postponed due to the Covid19 pandemic. It was last held in Kuala Lumpur after Johor had declined the offer to become host in 2021. 

The Malaysian Minister of Youth and Sports had also announced that the Sukma in 2026 will be organised by National Sports Council (MSN). This is based on the agreement of the members to introduce a system of rotating the host alternately every two years between the National Sports Council (MSN) and the states. Kelantan had agreed to accept the responsibility of hosting the national multi-sport event in 2028 to give them a longer preparation period. 

The rationale behind the host rotation system is to reduce the burden of the Federal Government in providing financial assistance to the states which covers the provision of construction and upgrading of sports infrastructure, the cost of organising and also the financing of the athletes’ preparation programmes at the state level

Starting next year, there will be 28 types of compulsory sports to be contested in SUKMA and these include aquatics (swimming and diving), weightlifting, badminton, cycling (track and highway), gymnastics (artistic and rhythmic gymnastics), golf, fencing, archery, shooting, athletics, sailing, hockey, judo, table tennis, taekwondo, karate, lawn bowls, pencak silat, sepak takraw, squash, tenpin bowling, wushu, football, rugby, netball, basketball, volleyball and tennis. As the 2024 host, Sarawak was given the option of including some additional sports and had decided to list boxing, muay, petanque and electronic sports (e-sports). 

However, this was subject to a minimum participation of six states as stated in the General Sports Regulations of Malaysia. The committee has also agreed for MSN to hold several engagement sessions with national sports associations and relevant stakeholders to study the possibility of including more types of sports in future editions of Sukma. This will be the third time that Sarawak will host the games after Sukma 1990 and in 2016. 

The Sukma 2024 in Sarawak is expected to be organised in various locations in the state apart from Kuching to give other major towns the opportunity to organise national level sports events and experience the excitement.

 

Thanking Sukma Supreme Committee for giving Sarawak the host for 21st edition of Malaysia Games (SUKMA) in 2024

We are indeed delighted to be officially given the task by Sukma Supreme Committee of hosting the 21st edition of Malaysia Games (SUKMA) to be held in July next year. The committee members including our Minister of Youth and Sports Malaysia, YB Hannah Yeoh during their recent meeting in Putrajaya had agreed for Sarawak to host next SUKMA which we had previously hosted in 1990 and in 2016. 

Before this, it was announced that Sarawak can be the next Sukma host and I had also brought this matter up in the Sarawak Cabinet meeting and the official announcement was made in our favour.

We are ready to become host because facilities wise, Sarawak had enough of it to become host the Games except for a velodrome for cycling. We are planning to organise the events for this Sukma not only in Kuching but in Miri and Sibu. Our Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development will meet soon to discuss the preparations and also the associations and stakeholders to ensure the games run successfully.

We have less than 500 days to prepare. These are our constraints and also on how much the federal government will support us but I am sure all Sarawakians will come to help and support our efforts to make ourselves the best host and overall champions in Sukma 2024.