Toh Puan Hayati (left) receives the Anugerah Datuk Patinggi Laila Taib from Abang Johari, as Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah looks on. – Penerangan photo
KUCHING (Aug 2): Toh Puan Datin Patinggi Hayati Ahmat, wife of the third Sarawak Chief Minister, the late Tun Datuk Patinggi Abdul Rahman Yakub, was honoured with the prestigious Anugerah Datuk Patinggi Laila Taib in recognition of her outstanding contributions to Islamic organisational leadership, community development and women’s empowerment.
The award was presented by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg during the Sarawak Women’s Day 2026 (HW26) celebration held at a hotel here on Sunday.
Themed “Sarawak Women in Digital Economy”, the celebration brought together government leaders, community figures, civil servants and women leaders to recognise the significant contributions of women towards Sarawak’s development.
Toh Puan Hayati was recognised for her pioneering role as the first woman elected as Vice-President of Harakah Islamiah (Hikmah) Sarawak, reflecting the increasing participation and leadership of women in major state-level Islamic organisations.
Her contributions include advancing dakwah efforts, ummah development, education, welfare initiatives and human capital development, particularly among rural communities throughout Sarawak.
The ceremony also saw several recipients honoured under the Premier Sarawak Awards category.
Dato Fenny Nuli received the Anugerah Premier Sarawak Pemimpin Wanita, while Dr Sharifah Suzana Wan Shukran was awarded the Anugerah Premier Sarawak Usahawan Wanita.
Ivy Pan received the Anugerah Premier Sarawak Penggiat Sosial Wanita, Jezzebelle Buyau was named recipient of the Anugerah Premier Sarawak Pemimpin Muda Wanita, and Sim Ko Sin received the Anugerah Khas Premier Sarawak for Sarawak Women in Digital Economy.
The Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society was also recognised with the Anugerah Premier Sarawak NGO Cemerlang.
Each individual award recipient received a trophy, certificate and RM5,000 cash prize, while the winning organisation received RM10,000.
The celebration also witnessed the launch of the Datuk Amar Juma’ani Leadership Chair at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, as well as a collaboration between the Sarawak Women and Family Department (JWKS) and Asian Women’s Leadership University College (AWLUC) for the Master of Arts in Leadership Development programme.
Yayasan Sarawak scholarships for the programme were also presented to Nur Izzati Huda Mohd Jaffar, Ninie Racha Anding and a representative for Farah Waheeda Ishak.
The celebration featured a variety of performances, including a silat presentation by students from Sekolah Henry Gurney Puncak Borneo, national and state anthems accompanied by sign language performed by children from Tadika Sedidik alongside their educators, and a special theatrical and musical skit titled “Wanita dan Generasi Digital” by students from Sekolah Seni Malaysia Sarawak.
There was also an orchestral and cultural showcase by a grand musical ensemble featuring renowned Sarawakian artistes Carrie Geres, Chien Ng and Aleysha Shareef Van Der Horst, accompanied by the Prodigy All Women Orchestra and cultural performers from the National Department for Culture and Arts (JKKN) Sarawak.
Adding a technological touch to the celebration was a special appearance by ‘Seri’, the CENTEXS Unitree G1 humanoid robot from the CENTEXS Robotics Programme, which performed a dance routine featuring interactive gestures and delivered an official greeting to the Premier as part of the ceremony’s officiating gimmick.