KUCHING: The Journalists Association of Kuching Division (KDJA) Sarawak welcomes news of Sarawak being appointed the host for the Hari Wartawan Nasional (HAWANA) or National Journalists Day in May 2024.
In a press statement issued on Thursday (Jan 4), it was revealed that the idea was first mooted by KDJA last year.
KDJA president Ronnie Teo said that they were the first to propose the idea during the association’s visit to HAWANA 2023 in Ipoh last year.
“Our association, through the Federation of Sarawak Journalists Associations (FSJA) sent a delegation of media representatives from Sarawak to participate in HAWANA 2023. During our experience there, we believe Sarawak has the potential to play host to one of its editions.
“We then received support from Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, who echoed our sentiment that Sarawak can host the next 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,” added Teo, who is also the FSJA acting vice-president II.
The first installment of HAWANA was held in Kuala Lumpur back in 2018, followed by Melaka in 2022 and Perak in 2023.
The event is a platform for media practitioners to get together and discuss current issues faced by the industry.
