By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, June 19: Margarita Naming, head of Research and Development at the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC), was among 137 distinguished individuals conferred State awards and honours by Sarawak Governor Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, during an investiture ceremony held at Astana Negeri Sarawak on Wednesday (June 18).
According to a TVS news report, Margarita received the Darjah Utama Yang Amat Mulia Bintang Kenyalang Sarawak, Pegawai Bintang Kenyalang (P.B.K.), in recognition of her 25 years of service and contributions to biodiversity research and conservation.
She was among ten recipients of the esteemed title, which included Datin Fauziah Mardiana Sepawi, Head of the Education Bureau of the Women’s Wing of the Malaysian Government Welfare and Sports Council (MAKSAK) Sarawak, and Professor Ts Dr Shanti Faridah Salleh, Director of the Institute of Sustainable and Renewable Energy (ISuRE) at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas).
Overjoyed by the recognition, Margarita expressed her gratitude for receiving the honour for a second time in her career.
“I’m truly honoured and excited to have my work and contributions to the State acknowledged. I’m grateful to be able to serve Sarawak, especially through the initiatives we carry out at SBC that benefit both the local communities and State-level research,” she told TVS.
Her first state honour was the Pingat Pentadbiran Awam, Pingat Perkhidmatan Bakti (P.P.B.), awarded in 2016.
Highlighting the Centre’s mission, Margarita said that SBC remains focused on advancing and preserving Sarawak’s rich biodiversity.
“Our work centres on how we can further develop and preserve Sarawak’s unique biological diversity. We hope that the ongoing collaboration between SBC and local communities in our research efforts will continue to bring lasting benefits to all parties,” she added.
The ceremony also saw 20 individuals conferred the Pingat Pentadbiran Awam, Pingat Perkhidmatan Bakti (P.P.B.), followed by 18 receiving Darjah Yang Amat Mulia Bintang Sarawak, Ahli Bintang Sarawak (A.B.S.)
Another 18 recipients were honoured with the Darjah Utama Yang Amat Mulia Bintang Kenyalang Sarawak, Ahli Bintang Kenyalang (A.B.K.).
Additionally, 39 individuals were awarded the Pingat Pentadbiran Awam, Pingat Perkhidmatan Terpuji (P.P.T.), while 32 others received the Darjah Yang Amat Mulia Bintang Sarawak, Bentara Bintang Sarawak (B.B.S.).
Present to witness the ceremony were Sarawak Governor’s wife Toh Puan Datin Patinggi Fauziah Mohd Sanusi and Sarawak Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki. — DayakDaily
