Taib (fifth from right, standing) with (from third right, standing) Morliah, Raghad, Awang Tengah, (from second left, standing) Aloysius, Morshidi and others pose with the winners of the short-video competition. — Photos by Muhammad Rais Sanusi
KUCHING: Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud wants Angkatan Zaman Mansang (Azam) Sarawak to study the movements of workers, including brain drain, in the state.
He said the data would be useful for the state government to plan its manpower needs properly.
“Azam Sarawak has the expertise and experience to look into this aspect. By so doing, it can provide the state government a better understanding of the real situation,” he said at Azam Sarawak’s 33rd anniversary dinner here on Saturday.
Taib, who is also Azam Sarawak patron, said quite a number of Sarawakians, especially the young ones, had the tendency to move from one sector to the next.
Even though he hoped all of them would remain in the state, Taib said no authorities anywhere could make their own people stay put.
“In a democracy, we cannot force them to do so.”
Taib said Sarawak could not overlook the possibility of losing manpower as it needed a more capable workforce to realise its goal of becoming a developed state by 2030.
Azam Sarawak chief executive officer Datu Aloysius Dris, in his speech, said his organisation had identified youths as key influencers in society.
He said youths could influence their elders, parents, neighbours, community leaders and their peers if they were equipped with ComDev skills and knowledge.
According to Aloysius, ComDev is about applying communication in helping people realise their full potential.
“This process should start as early as possible. Hence, we will be tapping the energy, enthusiasm and dynamism of our young population from as young as 13-year-old,” he said.
“And in the spirit of inclusion, we are also including our youths with special needs in our projects and activities.”
At the dinner, Taib presented prizes to winners of a short-video competition: ‘Kuching … City of Unity’ which was divided into open and students categories.
Jeremy Emang Jecky’s video ‘We The City’ earned him RM12,000 after emerging champion in the open category, while Jerry Chua Hsien Khoon’s ‘One’ and Mohammad Syafiq Harzmi’s video ‘Lost and Found’ were placed second and third respectively, and they were rewarded with RM7,000 and RM4,000.
They were each given a certificate and a trophy, too.
Two consolation prizes went to Samuel Wong and Chai Lee Lee, who received certificates and trophies. Wong submitted a ‘#HAPPY KCH’ and Chai ‘#NinjaLoveKuching’.
In the students category, Zizi Qairy Bolhassan of Unimas was the winner, and he went home RM10,000 richer. The video he produced was ‘Kuching, Here Forever’.
First runner-up Azri Haziq Suhaidi, also from Unimas, won RM6,000 with his masterpiece ‘Daniel’, while second runner-up Abang Mohd Danish Abang Busmah’s ‘Discover The City of Unity, Kuching’ earned the UiTM student RM3,000.
They also received a certificate and a trophy each.
Two consolation prizes of certificates and trophies were presented to Abang Mohd Arif Anaqi Abang Isa (Kuching… City of Unity) of Unimas and William Tang (The City of Unity – Kuching) of Lim Kok Wing.
Also present at the gathering were Taib’s wife, Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Raghad Kurdi Taib, Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, his wife, Datin Sri Dayang Morliah Awang Daud, and State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohd Morshidi Abdul Ghani.