‘Pageants offer opportunities to nurture women’s potential’
KUCHING: Beauty pageants are a platform for young Sarawakian women to discover and develop their unique potential.
Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Datuk Fatimah Abdullah said this during the launching of the inaugural Miss Grand Malaysia Sarawak 2017 in Penview Convention Centre here, Saturday night.
“Beauty pageants can help to build confidence and self- esteem as well as work as a platform for young women to showcase their talents.
“It is an avenue to nurture public speaking, communication and critical thinking skills,” she stated.
She added that such competitions are also an opportunity to build meaningful relationships and to network with other fellow contestants.
“Beauty pageants can teach the participants about grooming skills and becoming a role model to others,” she said.
According to Fatimah, beauty pageants such the Miss Grand Malaysia Sarawak 2017 competition also gives an opportunity for contestants to get involved with social and charitable activities such as the HelpSomebody community initiative founded by Dr Dalvinder Singh and Dr Esther Michael.
“IunderstandthattheMissGrand Malaysia Sarawak contestants together with HelpSomebody visited the Lion’s Nursing Home and Sarawak General Hospital.
“I hope that your charitable work will continue even after the pageant ends,” she said.
Meanwhile, Fiolla Redup, 24, was crowned Sarawak’s first Miss Grand Malaysia.
The Bidayuh beauty from Kuching said she was surprised to win the title.
“I did not expect to win. I told myself that I was going to challenge myself and not to compete with others on stage. I want to prove to myself I can do anything if I set my mind on it,” Fiolla said during a press conference after the event.
She named Datuk Michelle Yeoh as her idol and expressed her hope to be as successful and inspiring like the actress one day.
As the Miss Grand Malaysia Sarawak titleholder, Fiolla walked home with jewellery worth RM30,000 from Ceres Jewellery Malaysia, beauty products and services worth RM5,000 from Borneo Medispa and Academie Scientifque de Beaute, a RM3,000 cash prize, a crown and other prizes.
She also won the subsidiary titles of Miss Popular and Miss Natural Beauty.
Fiolla will represent the state in the Miss Grand Malaysia competition in Kuala Lumpur later this year.
The national winner would then represent Malaysia at the Miss Grand International pageant.
Meanwhile, the youngest of the 16 finalists in the Miss Grand Malaysia Sarawak 2017 competition, eighteen-year- old Bibiana Green, took home the first runner-up title.
She won herself a RM2,000 cash prize, a crown and other prizes.
Bibiana also earned the subsidiary titles of Best in Evening Gown and Best in National Costume.
Brenda Yeo, a beauty of mixed Chinese, Iban and Indian heritage from Miri earned third place in the competition, taking home a RM1,000 cash prize and other prizes.
Organised by Borneo Pageantry, the event raised RM11,500 in a charity auction for the Lion’s Nursing Home.
Also present were Minister of Rural Electricity and Water Supply Datuk Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, his wife Datin Loreta Sawot, Datin Amar Fatimah Mohd Iskandar (State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar’s wife) and Datin Christina Esni Mied ( Tasik Biru assemblyman Datuk Henry Harry Jinep’s wife).