By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, Aug 31: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas reminds Sarawakians that achieving independence does not mean the end of their struggle, but a reason for them to fight even harder.
He said the National Day celebrations serves as a reminder that the country was once colonised by foreign influence and how leaders of the past were willing to sacrifice themselves to return people’s rights.
“Fast forward to this year, 2021 is a challenging year for us and it is also the second year that the people have to reunite and work together in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The dedication and commitment of each and every citizen in playing their roles to prevent the outbreak are appreciated as they reflect patriotism and the struggle for the nation,” he said in a five-minute National Day video message posted on Facebook recently.
Uggah, who is also Bukit Saban assemblyman, reminded that this year’s theme for National Day was ‘Malaysia Prihatin’.
“If Malaysia is ‘prihatin’ (concerned), then so is Sarawak whereby the State government has also provided various assistances through its six Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang (BKSS) packages which complement the Federal government’s assistance. The State government has spent about RM4.5 billion for the cause.
“The State government also believes that the main strategy to fight Covid-19 was through the vaccination process. Therefore, the government has been very active in administering the vaccines since March this year.
“However, those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 are still required to comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) such as wearing face masks, practicing physical distancing and taking care of their hygiene,” he added. — DayakDaily
