KUCHING: Majlis Anak Istimewa Sarawak (Manis) hopes that Bonnie Bunyau Gustin will be awarded the title of Datuk for bringing home a gold medal for Malaysia in the Tokyo Paralympic Games and putting Malaysia’s name on the international sport stage.
“We think that he is eligible for the title of Datuk, which will make him the youngest and special person to have the title in Malaysia.
“We are very proud that Bonnie, a native of Sarawak, was able to win a gold medal in the Tokyo Paralympic Games and become a world champion,” it said.
The council also hopes that an education scholarship will be given to Bonnie for him to further his education up to PhD level abroad or within the country.
Manis, through Persatuan Anak Istimewa Sarawak (Perais) president Rapelson Richard Hamit, also congratulated Bonnie for winning the 72kg powerlifting men’s event.
Bonnie last Saturday broke the Paralympic record by lifting 228kg during the powerlifting event.
“Besides RM1 million under Skim Hadiah Kemenangan Sukan (Shakam), a pension of RM5,000 a month will be given to him.
“The Sarawak-born athlete will also receive a reward worth RM100,000 from a sponsor, FWD Takaful Berhad,” added Manis.
Meanwhile, Rapelson, on behalf of Perais, also congratulated the young athlete for his extraordinary performance on the international sport stage.
“He has shown a lot of improvement since his involvement in powerlifting since 2014. We are happy for him,” said Rapelson.
