KUCHING: Waste collectors and food delivery riders will be honoured as unsung heroes in this year's Sarawak Day celebration on July 22 which, for the second consecutive year, will be observed in a hybrid concept due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister in charge of the celebration, Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian today said these workers and riders would be among the limited number of guests invited to a formal event for the celebration, which would be attended by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud and Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Dr Sim told a media conference here today that said guests would not just comprise very important persons (VIPs), but also members of the public and non-government organisations, whom he described as forgotten unsung heroes.
Dr Sim, who is also Sarawak Local Government and Housing Minister, said the event would be held at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly building at Petra Jaya here and this year's theme would be "Sarawak Gemilang Untuk Semua" (A Glorious Sarawak for All).
"The grand finale of the Sarawak Day celebration is a new song (performance) called Sarawak Gemilang which is consistent with our theme. We are all in these (COVID-19) together, we shared together, suffered together, we enjoyed together, we fight together," he said.
Dr Sim said the event would be broadcast live on TV Sarawak at 8.15 pm on July 22.
Apart from the formal event, he said the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) is also organising a TikTok competition for young Sarawakians to express their thoughts creatively on the theme of the celebration from July 14 to 19.
Information on the competition would be made available on SMA and Serba Dinamik's official Facebook page.
Entry for the competition is free and cash prizes, as well as e-certificates, will be awarded to the 13 top entries.
July 22 had been declared a public holiday in Sarawak since 2016 by its then Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem as Sarawak Independence Day to allow its people to remember the date as an important moment in the history of the country and to ignite the spirit of love for the State.
-- BERNAMA
Bernama
Tue Jul 13 2021
Dr Sim told today that guests would not just comprise of VIPs, but also members of the public and NGOs, whom he described as forgotten unsung heroes. - Facebook/Dr Sim Kui Hian
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