Sadia urges young, fluent speakers to join Iban public speaking contest
KUCHING: Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia) Kuching branch chairman Datuk Paduka Anthony Nait Mani urges young budding public speakers in Iban language to come forward to showcase their talent at the coming UB-Aedil Iban Public Speaking Competition here on Aug 5.
Nait said: “I do hope young Dayaks, particularly the Iban not to feel inferior but come forward to try their best with full confidence. However practise regularly before competing. If possible practise in front of friends and family members first and let them present their constructive criticisms as part of a learning programme.”
“Sadia Kuching supports the inaugural state-level event ‘100 per cent’,” he said
“As this is the first competition of its kind, it must not be missed by the Dayak especially. Moreover it offers good cash prizes and provides opportunity for winning participants to improve contents of their personal resume,” he added.
Nait also urged all Dayak-based associations or NGOs to support the organisers UB-Aedil (Utusan Borneo-Association for the Educational Development of Iban language) for providing a platform for budding public speakers to showcase their skills or talents.
“We all must support. If the Dayak do not support their own, who else will do so? Our language is our identity and our identity carries our value and respect - meaning if we are not proud of our own race nobody will give us face or respect. That is why we the Iban, in particular, must be proud of our language. It would not be enough if we can’t speak fluently in Iban. Meaning, we must be speaking it fluently and correctly and not in haphazard form. As such, Sadia Kuching branch is in full support of the UB-Aedil project,” said Nait.
Meanwhile UB-Aedil organising committee said they are adding one more category to the original two categories for Secondary Students and University/College/IPG.
According to event organising secretary Mathias Kassap, based on an advice of a certain state assemblyman, they will be creating the third category - Open Under 45 to cater for young members of the public. The UB-Aedil Iban Public Speaking Competition final is slated for Aug 5, 2017. Should there be many entries, the organisers may have to choose the finalists via a preliminary round to be held on Aug 4. The event will be held at the auditorium of Batu Lintang Teachers Training College here.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing, who is also Minister for Infrastructure Development and Transportation, is the event patron and guest of honour at the Aug 5 final.
For detailed information, clarification and registration, interested members of the public are to call 017-8081485 (Churchill Edward), 013-8266081 (Isa Lee) and 016-8726064 (Matthias Kassap).