KOTA KINABALU: Students need to know the real birth date of Malaysia in order to instil patriotism and a sense of nationhood, said co-chairperson of The Art of Nation Building 2017 (TANB 2017), Dr Pamela Yong.
Themed ‘Hari Jadi Malaysia’ (‘Malaysia’s Birthday’) with the slogan ‘Celebrating Diversity’, Dr Pamela said one of the objectives of the contest was to ensure students understand the significance of Malaysia Day.
This is reflected in one of the competition’s requirements in which top winners are determined by the creativity of their artwork and the factual accuracy of their presentation, whereby the synopsis of each of the artwork will also constitute a portion of the assessment marks.
Commenting on the importance of factual accuracy in the works presented, Dr Pamela said at the end of the day, “…facts are facts.
“We should not be afraid to admit and submit to history,” she said, referring to the polemic surrounding the year of the formation of Malaysia, or Malaysia Day.
“We must all reconcile with the fact that the country was formed and born on September 16, 1963.
“No one can dispute that, and when there is no dispute, there can only be agreement, peace, harmony and ultimately unity. This is exactly what we want our young people to know through this competition.”
Society Empowerment and Economic Development of Sabah (SEEDS) chairman Datuk Badil Zaman added that in the three years the competitions were held, students were always confused about the country’s age.
“Consistently, in the last few years, students were always confused, whether we are 60 or 54 years old.
“This is something we need to act on. SEEDS is trying to cultivate the spirit of nation-building, especially among youths, so the standing block must be right,” he said.
In conjunction with the upcoming Malaysia Day celebration, TANB 2017 art competition recorded a marked increase of 65 per cent in participating schools, nationwide.
Dr Pamela also said the number of submissions increased from only 5,189 artworks in 2015 to 10,033 this year, adding that schools from Sabah contributed more than 80 per cent to the total number of submitted works.
“Sabahan schools submitted 8,315 entries this year, while schools from the peninsula also depicted significant participation with 1,718 entries from 10 states and the Federal Territories, compared to only five states, last year.
“Most importantly, we also received 26 drawings from differently-abled (OKU) students this year, comprising those with autism, Down Syndrome and cerebral palsy as well as speech and hearing impediments,” she said.
Dr Pamela, who is also MCA Kota Kinabalu divisional Women chief, said the committee made it a point to be inclusive, adding that a category specifically for OKU would be added in next year’s instalment.
“This means they will be judged in their own group so that we can increase awareness on inclusivity amongst the students, teachers and parents.
“We hope this will encourage students with special needs to participate in this competition once they see that there is a category meant specifically for them so that they feel included in nation-building initiatives,” she said.
Meanwhile, Badil added that TANB 2017 needs to go beyond its current achievement, calling on the corporate sector to be involved.
“The corporate sector should also contribute and be part of this initiative. There’s a moral obligation for them to support our efforts in nation-building,” he said.
Out of the 10,033 entries, 400 pieces were shortlisted within which winners from each category will be identified.
The shortlisted art pieces will be exhibited in various locations leading up to this year’s Malaysia Day celebration, namely at Suria Sabah Shopping Mall, Centre Point, Riverson, City Mall, Kota Kinabalu International Airport and the Jesselton Hotel.
The four winners from each category are Tan Ee Ven from SJK(C) Yuk Chin, Tawau, Chen Yi Wen from Kian Kok Middle School, Chen Yee Kee also from Kian Kok and Goh Wern Sze from Monash University.
The prize presentation ceremony will once again be held at Suria Sabah Shopping Mall on September 9.
Apart from prizes for creative and factually correct artworks, participating schools with the highest submissions will also take home trophies, certificates and prizes.
This year, in order to give equal opportunities to schools ranging in size and locality (urban versus rural), levels of participation will be judged according to the percentage of students taking part instead of the total number of students.
Schools, which have been identified with the highest percentage of entries in each category are SJK(C) Chung Hwa Likas (100%, urban), SK Sinapokan Kuala Penyu (98.11%, rural), SM St Francis Convent (100%, urban) and SMK Bundu Tuhan (93.97%, rural).
The panel of judges comprised Anna Idrus, Musta Nasip, Abdul Wajil and Mushariani Ismail.
The Art of Nation Building 2017 art competition is jointly organised by the State Education Department, the Society Empowerment and Economic Development of Sabah (SEEDS), the Federation of Chinese Women Association and Junior Chamber International Kota Kinabalu (JCI KK), with the support of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Sabah, the Young Malaysians Movement Tanjung Aru and Doodle Malaysia.