By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, July 13: The Sarawak government will recognise the ‘unsung heroes’ who have worked tirelessly throughout the Covid-19 pandemic come Sarawak Day, which falls on July 22.
Minister for Local Government and Housing Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian who is the organising chairman of the Sarawak Day celebrations, said the Sarawak government wants to recognise the sacrifices of ordinary Sarawakians and those who contributed to the fight against Covid-19 in the State.
“For this year, in terms of the number of guests invited, it will be very limited because we are just about to enter Phase 2 (National Recovery Plan), and it is limited to 100 people.
“The guest list does not consist of just VIPs. There will be a lot of the ordinary people, the non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the unsung heroes that people have forgotten,” he said during a press conference on the preparation of the Sarawak Day celebrations at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here today.
Dr Sim cited examples of unsung heroes such as garbage collectors who helped the community keep the city clean by working around the clock during the pandemic despite some workers being infected with Covid-19, and food delivery service providers.
“We want to acknowledge them because they are fighting for Sarawak and they are contributing to Sarawak.
“They helped Sarawak get through this pandemic and the success was due to everyone playing their roles and doing their part,” he added.
Dr Sim revealed that Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) is also organising a TikTok competition to encourage youngsters to create videos that can inspire others in conjunction with the Sarawak Day celebration.
The Sarawak Day celebration this year is themed ‘Sarawak Gemilang Untuk Semua’ aimed at acknowledging the success, fighting spirit and the solidarity of all Sarawakians in battling the Covid-19 pandemic for more than a year.
In conjunction with the celebrations, a song titled ‘Sarawak Gemilang’ will be sung by Sarawak-born singer Alvin Wee.
On the Sarawak Day celebrations this year, Dr Sim who is also State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) advisor said a formal event will be held on a smaller scale with some performances conducted in the evening at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) in accordance with the standard operating procedures (SOP).
Dr Sim emphasised that Sarawak Day is for all Sarawakians and urged the people to fly the Sarawak flag on July 22.
Among those at the press conference were Assistant Minister of International Trade and Industry, Industry Terminal and Entrepreneur Development Datuk Naroden Majais, Assistant Minister of Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali, Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Snowdan Lawan, Assistant Minister of Corporate Affairs and Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas) Abdullah Saidol, State Secretary Datuk Amar Jaul Samion and State Protocol, Ceremonial and Event Management director Azlan Ali Badri. — DayakDaily
