KUCHING, Feb 12: The Sarawak government is calling on the public to participate in its short stories and message writing project called ‘Sarawak’s Pride – Most Number of Unity Short Stories’.
State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohd Morshidi Abdul Ghani said the primary objective of the project was to highlight Kuching’s 31st anniversary as a city and its fourth year as a City of Unity on August 1, 2019.
“Yayasan Perpaduan Sarawak (YPS) and Sarawak Development Institute (SDI) intend to showcase Sarawak’s pride by collecting short stories of unity from members of the public all over Sarawak.
“The people of Sarawak are no strangers to diversity in their daily life — in neighbourhoods, schools, workplaces, social gatherings, and even places of worship.
“This spirit of unity in diversity has existed since any Sarawakian can recall and, thus, harmony among the people is still going strong today,” Morshdi told a press conference at his office here today.
The collection of these short stories and messages of unity will be showcased in a walk-in maze experience and is expected to be launched on August 1, 2019, in conjunction with Kuching City Day at the Kuching Waterfront.
“As this project is a maiden feat, the organisers will also enter this project as a record attempt in the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR) for the title of Most Number of Unity Short Stories. The minimum requirement by MBR is a total of 1,000 stories to achieve the record.”
The short stories should be in its truest form (non-fiction), while the messages may include creative writings (e.g. poems) and must include credits or acknowledgements to the original author (if applicable).
Among the criteria for these short stories and messages are: (1) they should be no less than 50 and no more than 200 words and (2) must be written either in English or Bahasa Melayu only.
“Short stories and messages must express elements or experiences of unity, harmony, understanding, tolerance, solidarity, goodwill, and acceptance in Sarawak. It must not include vulgarities, hate speech, or any forms of harassment.”
Submissions must include the author’s name, MyKad or Passport number (for verification by MBR), and contact details (phone number or e-mail address). There will also be special prizes awarded for best submissions from the different divisions in Sarawak.
Morshidi said there were plans to showcase the unity stories maze in Sibu, Bintulu, and Miri from Aug 1 to Sept 16.
He said the organisers were targeting various groups to encourage submissions, such as cultural and ethnic associations, faith-based and religious institutions, civil society and non-governmental organisations, primary and secondary schools and tertiary institutions, government agencies and departments and lawmakers.
Updates and developments on the project will be informed via social media event pages on Facebook and Instagram regularly with the hashtag #sarawakpride. There will also be promotional stands/booths at YPS, SDI, AZAM Sarawak and Champions Kuching events, where participants of these events or members of the public are able to find out more details and send in their submissions as well.
“We are also seeking support from agencies/organisations such as DBKU, MBKS, and STB. We also plan to place this project in the 2019 Calendar of Events for the State.”
The project is also supported by the Ministry of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development; Champions Kuching; Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC); and Faradale Media-M Sdn Bhd (FMM).
All entries should be emailed to sarawakpride@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is June 15.
Forms may be obtained online via the YPS website (www.yps.org.my) and SDI website (www.sdi.com.my). For social media, send direct messages to the Sarawak’s Pride Facebook Event Page or Instagram Event Profile. — DayakDaily
