THE recently concluded fourth edition of the National Journalists’ Day (Hawana) 2024 marked a significant milestone for the country’s media fraternity, particularly the local media.
For the first time, the event took place outside of Kuala Lumpur, and it witnessed the well-deserved recognition of several veteran journalists from Sarawak who received awards for their invaluable contributions to the industry.
At the top of the list was James Alexander Ritchie, a dedicated journalist who has devoted over five decades to the field since 1971.
He was honoured with the National Journalists’ Day (Hawana) 2024 Award, which was presented by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the highlight of the celebration.
Ritchie embarked on his career as a cadet journalist with the Straits Times in Peninsular Malaysia at the age of 23. From 1981 until his retirement, he served as the bureau chief of the New Straits Times (Sarawak).
Additionally, he fulfilled roles as a public relations officer at the Sarawak Chief Minister’s Department in 1998 and as a media consultant for Sarawak Digest in 2022.
His illustrious career also encompassed positions such as editorial advisor and executive director at Eastern Times in 2006 and executive director at New Sarawak Tribune in 2010.
The Prime Minister also presented another Hawana 2024 Award to the Kuching Division Journalists Association (KDJA), which was graciously accepted by its president, Ronnie Teo, as a token of appreciation for the association’s efforts.
The Hawana Awards aims to acknowledge and honour professional journalists, individuals, or organisations who have made significant contributions not only to journalism but also to shaping public opinion through their work.
The inaugural Hawana Award, given posthumously in 2018, was bestowed upon the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, known as the Father of Independence and Father of Malaysia, who served as Malaysia’s first Prime Minister.
Subsequent recipients included the Karangkraf Group in 2022 and Datuk Lat, also known as Datuk Mohd Nor Khalid, in 2023.
Furthermore, seven distinguished veteran journalists were presented with the inaugural Sarawak Premier Special Appreciation Award by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
The recipients included Murugaiah Meyappan, associate editor of New Sarawak Tribune; Sulok Tawie, senior journalist at Malay Mail; William Cornelius Chan Khun Neng, former executive editor of Utusan Sarawak/Mingguan Sarawak; Kadir Dikoh, editorial advisor at Utusan Sarawak; Alice Wee, former RTM chief reporter; Johnny Loh Kee Ko, former managing editor cum general manager of Chinese Daily News; and Zulazhar Sheblee, a photographer from Star Media group.
These individuals were honoured for their outstanding contributions to the fraternity. Congratulations to all the recipients, who truly deserve this recognition.
We also extend our gratitude to the state government for introducing the award, which was long overdue.
Hawana serves as the largest gathering of the Malaysian media fraternity, and this year it successfully brought together approximately 1,000 journalists.
The event took place from May 26-28 and also saw the participation of media representatives from Cambodia, Japan, Kuwait, Brunei, the Philippines, Timor Leste, Vietnam, China, Korea, and Qatar.
The Ministry of Communications, in collaboration with the Sarawak government and Bernama, organised this grand event. Previous editions of Hawana were all held in Kuala Lumpur.
We extend our thanks to the organisers and all those directly or indirectly involved in making Hawana 2024 a resounding success.
Inspired by Hawana 2024, it is high time for various local media organisations to seriously consider establishing a state-level Hawana that caters specifically to local journalists.
This initiative would undoubtedly provide a platform to strengthen relationships among local journalists, media practitioners, and stakeholders from across the state.
It would also facilitate the sharing of insights into the rapidly evolving media industry.
It is not an exaggeration to state that, compared to their counterparts in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, recognition and appreciation for their contributions to the industry from local authorities are exceedingly rare for representatives of the local media.
On this note, I would also like to express my gratitude to the Sarawak government, particularly the Premier of Sarawak, for making the Sarawak Media Conference (SMeC) an annual affair.
This conference was held for the first time during Hawana 2024 and serves as an opportunity to recognise and appreciate the media industry’s crucial role.
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the New Sarawak Tribune.
