Highest state award for eight

0

KOTA KINABALU: State Secretary Datuk Sukarti Wakiman and five federal ministers head the list of 720 State Awards recipients in conjunction with Head of State Tun Juhar Mahiruddin’s 58th official birthday today.

Sukarti was conferred Sabah’s highest award of Seri Panglima Gemilang Darjah Kinabalu (SPDK) which carries the title Datuk Seri Panglima along with Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman; Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili; Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal; Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and Defense Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi.

Others conferred the highest award are Malaysia’s Court of Appeal judge Datuk Sulong Matjeraie, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, Sabah Cultural Board chairman and former state minister Datuk Wences Angang and former Sabah deputy chief minister Datuk Tham Nyip Shen.

A total of 47 recipients were conferred the Panglima Gemilang Darjah Kinabalu (PGDK), the State’s second highest award, which carries the title Datuk.

Heading the PGDK recipients were Assistant Infrastructure Development Minister Pang Yuk Ming; Banggi Assemblyman Abdul Mijul Unaini; Parti Bersatu Sabah Deputy President (Malay quota) Almudin Kaida; State Assembly Secretary Joseph @ Bernard Dalinting, Deputy Sabah Police Commissioner SAC Tan Kok Liang; Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd Operations Manager Peter Lajumin; and Institute for Development Studies (Sabah) executive director cum chief executive officer Mohd Hasnol Ayub, to mention some.

There are 59 recipients of Ahli Setia Darjah Kinabalu (ASDK), 129 recipients of Ahli Darjah Kinabalu (ADK), 182 recipients of Bintang Setia Kinabalu (BSK), 223 recipients of Bintang Kinabalu (BK) and 64 recipients of the certificate of honour (Sijil Kehormat).

Among the ASDK recipients are Sabah Environment protection Department director Yabi Yangkat, Sabah and Labuan Petronas general manager Joseph Podtung, Kadazandusun Cultural Association executive secretary Benedict Topin and Utusan Borneo chief reporter John Tambanan.

Utusan Borneo senior reporter Yusop Teppo was among the ADK recipients along with police chiefs of Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan, namely ACP Ahmad Sofi Zakaria and ACP Rowell Marong respectively.

A total of eight people were made the Justice of the Peace (JP), namely Liberal Democratic Action advisor and former Sandakan member of parliament Datuk Lau Ngan Siew, former Kota Kinabalu Municipal Council president Datuk Stanislaus Yee Fong Chun, Ruvia Awang, Joseph Ahlan, Stephen Laison Sondoh, Mohamad Alamin, Wong Tun Lung and Anthony Linggian.