27 students sign up for Pekit Pidato Iban
KUCHING: A total of 27 students from 10 secondary schools have confirmed their participation in the first- ever state Iban Public Speaking Competition ( Pekit Pidato Iban) 2017 scheduled for Aug 4 and 5 here.
They will compete in the Students Category.
Two more categories, namely Tertiary Students and Open Below 45-years- old, will see the participation of six university/college students and seven members of the public, respectively.
According to joint organisers Utusan Borneo and Association for the Education and Development of Iban Language (UB-Aedil) yesterday, only six competitors from each category will qualify for the finals at 8am on Aug 5 at the auditorium of the Teacher Education Institute of Malaysia, Batu Lintang campus here.
The 18 finalists will be selected during the preliminary round at Kingwood Hotel, Jalan Padungan on Aug 4.
The organisers will open the preliminary round registration period from 1pm until 8pm on Aug 4. They welcome participants to compete on a ‘ first- come- first- served’ basis during the preliminaries.
Following that, six finalists from each category will draw lots for their respective slot to speak at the finals the next day.
Those in the Tertiary Students Category will still have to come to the preliminary event, not to compete but only to cast lots because there are only six of them at the moment.
The Pekit Pidato Iban 2017 offers attractive cash prizes and entrance is free.
The organisers have invited Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing as guest- ofhonour for the opening ceremony on Aug 5.
The organisers acknowledged the financial support of Masing (who is also the event patron), Assistant Youth and Sports Minister Snowdan Lawan, Lubok Antu MP Datuk William Nyallau Badak and Hulu Rajang MP Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong, as well as the support of Ranyai Studio and See Hua Marketing, amongst others.
“The NGO (non-governmental organisation) group UB-Aedil volunteered to hold this event which, according to YB Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing, is the first ever to be held in Malaysia as far as state-level public speaking contests in the medium of the Iban language is concerned.
“We encourage members of the public to participate in it so that they will be part of history. As we started as volunteers, we hope the participants will come on their own free will and not be forced by anyone. It is all about volunteerism and cooperation from all parties to ensure that the event will be a success,” said organising chairman Churchill Edward Drem.
“As it will be the first time that an NGO like UB-Aedil attempts to hold such a meaningful and useful competition, we expect to learn one or two things from holding it and as we go along.
“For the love of the Iban language, we are sacrificing our precious time to make sure that enthusiasts have the platform to help us (volunteers) in developing and empowering the Iban language,” he added.
The schools participating in this history-making event are SMK Tun Abdul Razak, SMK BM Saratok, SMK Serian, SMK Engkilili, SMK Simunjan No.1, SMK Song, SMK Pakan, SMK Melugu, SMK Sri Aman and SMK St Luke.
The inaugural event has received the support of several Dayak- based NGOs like Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) Youth, Sarawak Dayak Youth Association ( Pebedas) and Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia) Kuching.