RM23,000 up for grab in this year’s Information Dept essay contest

Published: Friday April 18, 2014 MYT 12:00:00 AM 

Updated: Friday April 18, 2014 MYT 2:28:49 PM

Share your thoughts: Zaini (second from right) officiating at the essay 

writing contest witnessed by principal assistant directors Samuel Simon 

(right), Normah Jaafar and Aziz Abdul Rahman.

KUCHING: The State Information Department is inviting participation to its annual Esei Kenegaraan Contest (Essay Writing contest), which offers cash prizes worth a total of RM23,000.

As in previous years, the contest is opened in three languages namely, Bahasa Malaysia, English and Iban.

Participation is divided into Public and Students’ categories.

The public category is open to all Malaysians, aged 16 and above, non students and are residing in Sarawak while the students’ category is for students aged 16 and above.

The department’s deputy director Zaini Mohamad said this year’s contest was primarily to encourage participants to carry out research, understand, write and offer positive critiques to public policies and government socio-economic development programmes.

Speaking at the department’s annual gathering at its office in jalan Bako near here recently, he said the country’s socio-economic development could be implemented smoothly if the people were able to understand the aims and objectives of government’s development policies and programmes such as the Goods and Services Tax, the Government Transformation Programmes (GTP) among others.

Through the organising of the contest, the people would understand more of the gist of the policies so that they would support them,” he added.

The topics for the public category contest cover various aspects such as the Implementation of GST, Visit Malaysia Year 2014, Transformation of State Government Leadership, Rukun Negara and Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud: Father of Modern and Progressive Sarawak.

As for the students’ category, the topics include Road Courtesy, Jalur Gemilang, Rukun Negara, Sport, Technical Education and Economy.

Entry forms can be obtained from Divisional and District Information offices throughout the state and the Department’s website at http://www.penerangan.gov.my.

The closing date for submitting entries is July 31.

Full details on the conditions of the contest are available as attachment to the entry forms and available at all Information Offices in the state. Entry forms are also available at the department’s website http://www.penerangan.gov.my/sarawak.