KUCHING: Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) has released Covid-19 awareness videos to remind the community on the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus.
Available in the four main Bidayuh dialects, namely Bukar-Sadong, Bidayuh Bau, Biatah and Salako, these videos can be viewed on DBNA’s official Facebook page, and have already been shared many times online on social media platforms since Saturday (Feb 13).
Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Datuk Amar Michael Manyin Jawong officially launched the videos at the end of the association’s Fourth Extraordinary General Assembly (EGA) at the DBNA multi-purpose hall on Saturday (Feb 13).
Manyin, who is also DBNA advisor, hoped these videos would make the Bidayuhs, especially those in the rural areas, better aware of the preventive measures against Covid-19.
DBNA president Datuk Ik Pahon Joyik said the association embarked on this awareness programme since many Covid-19 cases have occurred in Bidayuh villages including one cluster detected in Bau.
“We worked together with the Bidayuh Council of Elders to produce the videos which aim to remind our community to follow the SOPs and make them aware of the do’s and dont’s in this fight against Covid-19.
“We are also arranging for the videos to be screened on TVS and for its audio to be aired on Bidayuh FM,” he said at the event.
Ik Pahon thanked all those involved in ensuring the videos were completed within short notice since early this month.
He also thanked Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) Sarawak for free usage of its studio to do the voiceover.
At the EGA, 50 delegates unanimously agreed to the DBNA supreme council’s proposal to spend an RM16 million grant from the Sarawak government to build the nine-storey DBNA Community Hostel project.
The delegates comprised members of the supreme council and delegates from 13 branches; more than half of the 21 branches were required under the DBNA constitution to hold the EGA.
The government grant was handed over by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg on Sept 3 last year, eight months after he pledged the grant during DBNA’s 65th anniversary celebration.
Work on the proposed DBNA Community Hostel, which comprises 96 rooms and other facilities, is scheduled to commence next month and expected to be completed in 2023.
This latest Bidayuh landmark will be built next to the multi-purpose hall at the DBNA headquarters in Jalan Kumpang, Kuching.
Also present at the EGA were a political secretary to the chief minister Dr Simon Sinang Bada and consultants of the project.
