KUCHING: Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Dr. Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, was conferred the title of Chief Patron of the Malaysian Scouts Association today (Mar 13).
Chief Scout of Malaysia, Brigadier General (Retired) Prof. Datuk Dr. Mohd. Zin Bidin, presented the award to Wan Junaidi during a courtesy call at the Astana Negeri.
Mohd Zin said the designation as Chief Patron aligns with Article 11(2) of the Organization Policy and Regulations (POR) of the Malaysian Scouts Association.
During this visit, Mohd. Zin also presented the prestigious First Class Padi Spirit Star – Gold (BSP-I) to Wan Junaidi. The BSP-I award, the highest honour bestowed by the Malaysian Scouts Association is exclusively reserved only for eminent figures among national and state leaders.
Mohd. Zin, in his remarks, expressed the Malaysian Scouts Association’s joy in conferring this esteemed award upon Wan Junaidi.
“Wan Junaidi is very concerned about the scouts as he was also a former scout during his school days. He once attended a course that qualified him to receive the Manikayu award, making him the first Member of Parliament to receive such an award,” he said.
Mohd. Zin further mentioned that Wan Junaidi had previously held the position of Chief Commissioner of the Sarawak Scouts and oversaw the planning of a significant Scouts Jamboree in Sarawak, known as the BIMP-EAGA Jamboree.
He revealed that the Malaysian Scouts Association planned to host a global scout jamboree in Sarawak.
“We need vast land, up to 100 to 200 acres (for the organisation of the jamboree). Land of such magnitude in the Peninsula is quite hard to come by and considering Sarawak is a large state, perhaps the Sarawak government would be interested in hosting the world jamboree here,” he said.
It is worth noting that Wan Junaidi held the position of Chairman of the Kuching Scouts movement from 1974 to 1992, and subsequently served as the Chief Commissioner of the Sarawak Scouts from 1993 to 2009.
