KUCHING: Sarawak looks forward to celebrating the local media's work when it hosts the next National Journalists' Day (Hawana) in May this year.
Welcoming the news of Sarawak's appointment as the host state, Kuching Division Journalists Association (KDJA) president Ronnie Teo said this came after the association mooted the idea last year.
"We were the first to propose the idea during our visit to Hawana 2023 in Ipoh.
"Our association, through the Federation of Sarawak Journalists' Associations (FSJA), sent a delegation of media representatives to participate in Hawana 2023.
"During our experience there, we believe Sarawak has the potential to play host for one of its editions," he said in a statement on Thursday (Jan 4).
Teo said the proposal received support from Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, who echoed KDJA's confidence that the state could host Hawana.
"We are glad that we will now have the opportunity to show the best of what Sarawak can do, especially from the perspective of our media industry practitioners.
"We look forward to being involved in the planning and organising of Hawana 2024 and we have some proposals on how to celebrate the hard work of the local media," he added.
Earlier Thursday, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil announced that Sarawak was selected to host Hawana on May 27.
He said the decision to choose Sarawak was made during a post-Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (Jan 3), with the actual location in the state to be decided later.
Hawana was first held in Kuala Lumpur in 2018, followed by Melaka in 2022 and Perak last year.
It is a platform for media practitioners to get together and discuss current issues faced by the industry.
