KUCHING, Feb 28: A lecture on “Religious Liberty and Social Policy” on March 5 will conclude The Sarawak Initiatives’ (TSI) leadership programme.
A total of 25 seminars and webinars were held throughout the course of the programme which ran from July 22 last year, which attracted some 600 participants from all walks of life across the country, and even from Singapore.
The final item of the programme to promote critical thinking, and social and cultural awareness, will touch on interconnections between social policies and religion in the national context and how this could influence the role and impact of religious matters, especially involving security, education, work, health and well-being in Sarawak.
The closing lecture will be delivered by Prof Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi of UCSI University.
TSI in a statement today said its leadership programme had covered a wide range of topics from politics to economy, matters pertaining to the judiciary system, the trajectory of the State’s education system, current state of the media, discussion on the importance of democracy and rule of law, principles of government, foreign policies, gender inequality and more.
“TSI had also invited aspiring young leaders who participated in the programme to submit their community outreach project proposals, as we were committed to help participants realise the potential of their community-led projects by providing the necessary guidance and assistance, as part of our 10-step programme in grooming future leaders who can create positive impact on tsociety through their community-based development projects,” it said.
TSI had also committed RM50,000 to supporting Dr Elena Chai, a senior lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak’s (Unimas) Department of Anthropology and Sociology, in her research to map and evaluate the conditions of all existing “klirieng” of the Punan communities in Belaga and Kapit.
“Klirieng” or “kelirieng”, the secondary burial poles or tomb posts, are among the most prominent tangible heritage of the Punan people, a sub-ethnic group under the Orang Ulu community.
TSI and Chai’s collaboration came about when the university professor delivered a talk for the the association’s leadership programme last year.
When proposing her research, she pointed out the urgency of carrying out the study as a race against time, as such cultural heirlooms are continuously threatened by the ravages of nature.
With regards to the final seminar on March 5, registration is still open to those interested with no fees required.
Those interested to register are welcome to visit www.thesarawakinitiatives.org or contact TSI at 019-8767928 for further information. — DayakDaily
