KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's largest wholesale mall, GM Klang, and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) are among the 27 strategic partners from various sectors providing sponsorships to support the organising of National Journalists' Day (HAWANA) 2024 next month.
Mock cheques of the sponsorships were presented to Communication Minister Fahmi Fadzil at the HAWANA 2024 Strategic Partners meet-and-greet event at Wisma Bernama here today.
Present were Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching, Communications Ministry deputy secretary-general (Strategic Communication and Creative Industry) Nik Kamaruzaman Nik Husin, Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chief executive officer Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin and Sarawak Public Communication Unit (UKAS) director Samuel Simon.
The organisation of HAWANA, aimed at recognising and appreciating the important role of journalists in society, also received support from CelcomDigi Berhad, Malaysia Design Council, Farmers' Organisation Authority, Wasco Management, British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce Berhad, Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad, Malaysian Palm Oil Berhad, Public Bank Berhad and National Water Services Commission (SPAN).
Other strategic partners are Ninja Van Malaysia, Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Sarawak (TEGAS), Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (Angkasa), Yayasan Peneraju Pendidikan Bumiputera, National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN), Agro Bank, Tune Protect Group, Co-opbank Pertama, Oldtown White Coffee, Mr DIY E-Commerce (M) Sdn Bhd, and Johor Plantations Group Berhad.
Sponsorships were also received from AirAsia, MOMAWater, Holiday Villa Hotels and Resort, Sunway Lagoon Marketing Sdn Bhd, and MAMEE.
HAWANA 2024 is scheduled to take place from May 25 to 27 in Kuching, Sarawak, featuring various enriching programmes beneficial for both the media fraternity and the general public.
Over 1,000 media practitioners, representatives from local journalist associations, as well as media representatives from ASEAN member countries, are invited to attend HAWANA 2024, which serves as a significant platform for professional media fraternity and industry experts to exchange ideas and establish strategic relationships.
The largest gathering of Malaysian journalists is organised by the Communications Ministry in collaboration with the Sarawak State Government, with Bernama being the implementing agency.
Various programmes and activities have been arranged to liven up the celebration of HAWANA 2024, including the International Media Conference and the HAWANA 2024 Exhibition to be held in Kuching, while sports events such as soccer, netball, and bowling are expected to take place at several other locations.
This year, for the first time, HAWANA will be introducing the Jelajah Siswa programme aimed at providing university students with exposure to the real world of journalism.
The programme will involve knowledge- and experience-sharing sessions with media practitioners, as well as contributions of equipment for university/faculty and student use.
Meanwhile, the Tabung Kasih@HAWANA initiative, which provides assistance to journalists and media personnel nationwide, either still in service or retired, as a manifestation of concern and support from the Communications Ministry and the media community to fellow comrades in need, will also continue.
The date of May 29 was chosen as National Journalists' Day in commemoration of the first publication of the Utusan Melayu newspaper on May 29, 1939.
Meanwhile, GM Klang senior manager (Brand Communication) Norsuhaida Othman said that the company chose to be a strategic partner for HAWANA because the media industry's involvement and continuous support for the company's business are highly appreciated.
"We have been collaborating with Bernama for about four years now, and we find the results of this collaboration very satisfying. Today, we are sponsoring RM50,000 and hope that this relationship can be further enhanced," she
said.
Omar Atin, Bank Islam Strategic Communication senior manager, on the other hand, said that Bank Islam felt responsible for providing strong support to HAWANA in return for the media coverage and promotion given to the financial institution and its products over the years.
"We support HAWANA because we feel that media practitioners have greatly assisted Bank Islam in promoting our products and covering our events and press releases. So, we agree to sponsor RM10,000," he said.
Ninja Van, being a strategic partner for HAWANA for the first time, also contributed RM10,000 for HAWANA 2024 in support of the media industry.
Its head of Sales and Partnership, Fariz Maswan, said that without the support of the media over the past nine years, Ninja Van would not have enjoyed the success it achieved today. -- BERNAMA