KUCHING: The National Journalists' Day (Hawana) 2024 celebration, which began on Saturday (May 25), will culminate this afternoon with the highlight event to be officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Held at a hotel here, the grand event will also be attended by Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, and around 1,000 guests comprising local and international media practitioners.
The event, which is scheduled to begin at about 3pm, will see the Prime Minister deliver his keynote address, as well as present the Hawana 2024 Awards and the Tabung Kasih@Hawana aid to deserving recipients.
Meanwhile, the public is invited to visit the Hawana 2024 Exhibition, which has been running since Saturday at Plaza Merdeka here.Organised for the first time in Sarawak, the festivities kicked off with the 'Jelajah Hawana 2024 Bersama Siswa' programme at the Sarawak State Library.
Also held were the Sarawak Media Conference (SMeC) 2024, and 'Juh Raon' programme, in which participants visited iconic locations around the city.
Yesterday, the participants were honoured at a dinner hosted by the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sarawak, Tun Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
May 29 has been gazetted as National Journalists Day, in conjunction with the publication of the first newspaper in Malaysia, Utusan Melayu, on May 29, 1939, to celebrate the contributions of media practitioners.
Hawana 2024, themed 'Etika Teras Kewartawanan Mapan', is the largest gathering of Malaysian journalists organised by the Ministry of Communications in collaboration with the Sarawak Government, while Bernama is the implementing agency. - Bernama