Hold more social events, Dr Jerip urges private sector
KUCHING: Private sector players engage in locality development should organise more social events as part of their corporate social responsibility (SCR) activities.
Assistant Minister for Public Health Dr Jerip Susil said social events held in any locality development area could break down barriers within the community by encouraging and improving communication among diverse individuals and groups in the population.
He said when citizens from many sectors of the community work together to assess the programmes, they will get to know one another as equal human beings of the same state and the same country.
“This interaction not only makes it possible for people from different backgrounds and circumstances to work together, but also foster mutual respect and empathy.
“This is very important for a state like Sarawak where the population is comprised of so many different ethnic groups,” he said at the closing ceremony of the third edition of the 1Singai 2016 Festival held at the 1Singai Commercial Centre in Tondong, Bau yesterday.
The event was organised by Putera Sentosa Development Sdn Bhd as part of the company’s CSR.
Dr Jerip believed such social programmes could also encourage the community to identify its own resources and understand its strengths to solve problems.
He said once people have a clear sense of what they have available and what they themselves could do, they could use their resources to their best advantage.
“From what I see, this kind of CSR event can create a lot of opportunities even for the new generation.
“But most important of all, is, it will bring the people of different ethnic and racial lines together, and make life better for everyone,” he said.
However, he said for any social event to succeed, it required the involvement of private sector players because that would create more opportunities for both the participants and the visitors.
Prior the closing ceremony, Dr Jerip watched two boxing competition final bouts and gave away the prizes to the winners.
Also present at the ceremony was Tasik Biru assemblyman and the festival’s advisor Datuk Henry Harry Jinep, Putera Sentosa Development Sdn Bhd director Suraya Julot and Sarawak Boxing Association president Dato Rahman Lariwoo.