Kudos to TVS and its plans to become premier Sarawak home grown television station

Congratulations to our media friends at TVS for having established themselves as the first Sarawak-based television station that was accepted by the public including those from Peninsular Malaysia. This was indeed proven during the staging of the 21st edition of Malaysia Games (SUKMAXXI) and the Para-SUKMA Games in Sarawak last year.

This matter was also mentioned by our right honourable Premier of Sarawak in his speech at the launching ceremony of “Majlis Ramah Tamah Aidil Fitri TVS 2025” held at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) this morning. A new building with its broadcast studio will house the headquarters of TV Sarawak (TVS) and is expected to be completed in 2027. 

The new facility, among other things, plays an important role in ensuring the smooth broadcasting and coverage of the 2027 SEA Games following Sarawak being chosen as the co-host. Of course, TVS will be the official broadcasting partner reporting on the events in Sarawak and broadcasting live to the participating countries later.

Junior players from 18 nations converging in Kuching City for the 2025 Asia/ Oceania Final Qualifying Round World Under-14 Junior Tennis Tourney

We welcome participants from 18 countries including who are competing in the “2025 Asia/ Oceania Final Qualifying Round World Under-14 Junior Tennis” tournament which is being held in Kuching City. 

Thank you to the Sarawak Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for having invited me to grace the welcoming dinner for the participants at Hilton Kuching of Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kuching.

The participating teams include those from Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Nepal, Thailand, Uzbekistan and host country, Malaysia. The Under-14 girls and boys qualifying round is one of seven international events to be hosted in Sarawak for the year 2025. 

In my speech, I have commended SLTA for putting Sarawak on the world’s tennis map by continuing to run international junior tournaments in Kuching. SLTA is one of the most active sports associations in Sarawak and earlier on in March 3 to 8, they had hosted the Asia Oceania Pre Qualifying Event under the Billie Jean King Cup Junior Under-16 tournament.

The next international event on the SLTA calendar was the ITF qualifying finals for the World Boys Under-14 Junior Tennis Championship that was held back-to-back with the ITF World Girls Junior Competition that ends on April 16.

The major tennis events of the year will include the 43rd Sarawak Premier Cup ITF World Tennis Juniors J300 from April 22 to 27; and the 44th Sarawak Premier Cup ITF World Tennis Juniors J100 from Sept 2 to 7. The final international junior tennis event in Sarawak will be the 18th ATF Asian Under-14 Series from Oct 13 to 18.

Sarawak is honoured to host these tournaments where the junior players from the Asian region and the world will come together to compete before becoming professionals who eventually become world champions.

Welcoming new hotels development to compliment growing number of visitors to Sarawak

The development of new hotels to cater to the rising number of tourists is important and the strategic investments in such tourism infrastructure are vital, given that existing accommodations are struggling to cope with the increasing influx of tourists.

I have mentioned this recently and will raise this matter with our right honourable Premier of Sarawak and any applications for the construction of new hotels should be prioritised and granted approval. This is because our plans are not just for the short term—one or two years—but for the next five to ten years, as we have seen the number of tourists that keep growing, especially when major international events are taking place in Sarawak, particularly in Kuching.

Such development is important because it is also being part of the state’s preparations for Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY2026). For the encouraging number of tourist arrivals in Sarawak the past few months, we have recorded a total of 810,345 visitors in January and February this year.

This means each month sees no fewer than 400,000 arrivals. Though we have yet to receive the figures for March, I am optimistic that the numbers will continue to rise. By June, we expect to get closer to our five million mark.

In this regard, I have expressed our heartfelt appreciation to all parties, especially the state government and state tourism players for their unwavering support and commitment. 

For every programme that we have organised, it normally receives solid cooperation from all quarters, making it easier for us to promote our tourism industry, including medical tourism, cultural and educational tourism, as well as the Sarawak-Malaysia My Second Home (S-MM2H) programme initiatives.

Sarawak is keen to host boxing event in 2027 SEA Games

Sarawak is keen to become the hosting venue for the 2027 SEA Games boxing event and will consider the wishes of local boxing fans, given the sport’s growing popularity here. The 2027 SEA Games is be co-hosted by Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak, Penang and Johor but the final decision on the venue lies ultimately with the Malaysia Boxing Federation (MBF).

Nonetheless, we will express our intention to be the host venue for boxing ... as we have produced many high-profile boxers. I have also been informed that Penang is keen to host the boxing event. But if Sarawak is selected, we have several venues to offer, including the Stadium Perpaduan in Petra Jaya, and even Sri Aman could be an option.

I have spoken to our media friends on Sarawak’s readiness to lobby for boxing in the coming SEA Games and that it would be thrilling if the boxing event could be held in Sri Aman. 

This because during the previous 21st Malaysia Games (SUKMAXXI), our athletes had fought with great spirit and brought home many medals, not only because they were talented but also because of the overwhelming support from local fans that boosted their fighting spirit.

We must remember that strong home support can undermine the morale of opponents, and sometimes even underdogs can win because of that support. Therefore, we will do our best to ensure boxing is held in Sarawak.

Ushering 3,000 guests at the joint "Majlis Ramah Tamah Aidil Fitri 2025" at The Waterfront Hotel Kuching

Alhamdullilah. About 3,000 of our folks had attended the "Majlis Ramah Tamah Aidil Fitri 2025" which was jointly organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry & Performing Arts Sarawak (MTCP) and Ministry of Youth, Sports & Entrepreneur Development Sarawak (MYSED) at The Waterfront Hotel #Kuching. 

The atmosphere was simply lively and fantastic at the event which was held on a modest scale and it was an honour for the organisers to have received the visit by local dignitaries who include the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof. Datuk Seri Fadillah who is also Minister of Energy and Natural Resources was accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Ruziah Mohd Tahir. 

Also present were Federal Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Hajah Nancy Haji Shukri; Federal Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Rubiah Haji Wang; Sarawak's Deputy Minister of Energy and Environmental Sustainability Datuk Dr Hazland Abang Hipni; Miri Mayor Datuk Adam Yii. 

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Hari Raya visit by our Head of State, His Excellency Tun Pehin Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar & his wife

It was an honour for our family to have received the hari raya visit by our Head of State, His Excellency Tun Pehin Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and his wife, Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Fauziah Mohd Sanusi.

The couple had arrived at our house at about 4 pm and had spent about an hour with us before proceeding to their next hari raya visit. It was delightful to have spent quality time with the Head of State who had shared interesting recollections of his younger days and during service in the state's Police force.