Hawana 2022 awards ceremony to honour journalists for their contributions

KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 (Bernama) -- The National Journalists Day 2022 (HAWANA 2022) award presentation ceremony will be held on May 29 in Melaka to recognise and honour professional journalists, individuals or organisations who have made significant contributions, not only in the field of journalism but in shaping the minds of the people through their works.

Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) acting chief executive officer Roslan Ariffin said the ceremony was among the main events lined up in conjunction with the celebration.

"The recipients will receive trophies, cash and certificates of appreciation," he said when appearing as a guest on Bernama TV’s ‘Malaysia Petang Ini’ programme today.

Themed "Suara Jelata, Aspirasi Negara" (The Voice of the People, The Aspirations of the Nation), he said the largest gathering of journalists and media practitioners in the country would also witness the announcement of the Melaka Declaration to convey the wishes and dreams of journalists and their aspirations for a more prosperous and united Malaysia.

He said a total of 500 guests were also invited to attend the celebration, including key media leaders from Indonesia, representatives from the Indonesian Malaysian-Indonesian Journalists’ Association (ISWAMI), the Indonesian Minister of Communications and Informatics as well as ambassadors, foreign leaders and editors and media partners from Sabah and Sarawak.

HAWANA is organised to recognise the role of Malaysian journalists and media practitioners, as well as to serve as a platform for media practitioners to share opinions and enhance the progress and growth of the media industry in Malaysia.

He said Melaka was selected as the location for the celebration due to several factors, including its proximity to Kuala Lumpur, the Melaka state government's support for HAWANA 2022 to be held in the state as well as the desire to share the joy of hosting the celebration with other states.

"In the future, we will discuss with other state governments so that they can host the celebration in their states," he said.

HAWANA 2022 is scheduled to be officiated at 2 pm at Hatten Hotel by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who has confirmed his attendance.

ISWAMI and Bernama will be the main drivers for the implementation of the ceremony, supported by the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia and will also involve other agencies, organisations and media practitioners.

-- BERNAMA