‘Sarawak youths a force to be reckoned with’

Two ‘lions’ greet Fazzrudin (facing camera, centre) upon his arrival at the Youth and Sports Complex in Kuching. — Photos by Jeffrey Mostapa

KUCHING: Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman seems to be a hit among the youths here — not quite a common quality when it comes to describing a people’s representative.

The newly-elected Tupong assemblyman received a deafening welcome from the participants of the state-level FitMalaysia Fest 2016 at the Youth and Sports Complex here upon his arrival for the official opening yesterday.

Appearance-wise, he was definitely ‘one of the young people’. His ensemble was a plain white T-shirt underneath a woollen sweater and a pair of blue jeans, with simple hiking boots to complete that hip and youthful look — obviously not the kind that one would usually associate with an assemblyman.

Even on stage, Fazzrudin, 41, was anything but conventional.

“I think that today’s event is all about the youths, so we have no need for this rostrum. You all need to see me in full,” he quipped before taking the microphone off the stand.

The unexpected remark drew roars of laughter from the audience.

Fazzrudin then proceeded with his speech, first by thanking the Tupong constituents for giving him the opportunity to make a difference in the state constituency.

The PBB Youth man pointed out that young people would be among the key priorities under his vision for Tupong.

“Fifty per cent of voters in Tupong are youths. Of all the candidates from BN (Barisan Nasional) in the just-concluded state election, 13 are from the Youth section. This means the youths now know that they can count on BN to bring development to the people. They also know that they are the future of Sarawak and as such, they need to uphold the current peace, unity and stability that have prevailed under BN government,” he said.

He cited the state-level FitMalaysia Fest 2016 as proof of government’s focus on the well-being and development of youths.

“This event is among many platforms and programmes dedicated to youths. We are offering these opportunities to all of you and we hope that you would continue to work with us towards a better Sarawak,” he said.

Back on the carnival, Fazzrudin said he was happy to see that it involved members from every youth category — school-children, teenagers, young adults and young professionals.

On this, he also acknowledged that the youths in Sarawak were truly ‘a force to be reckoned with’, in that they had the capability to make a change for the better.

“The activities that I can see here are varied, despite the carnival’s focus on health, fitness and active lifestyle. We have fun activities for the children and youngsters, stalls for young entrepreneurs to promote their offerings, special community programmes and of course, games and sports events for the fitness enthusiasts.

“I dare say that when it comes to youths in Sarawak, we are a force to be reckoned with. We are able to strike that balance between social, spiritual, educational and economic growth. We are the young Sarawakians and proud of it,” he added.

Fazzrudin was accompanied by National Sports Council (MSN) director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail, state Youth and Sports Department respective director and deputy director Abdul Haris Ishak and Mohd Yusuf Long, as well as state Cooperatives Commission of Malaysia director Osman Ismail.

They later presented prizes to winners of several competitions held earlier before continuing with a tour around the festival’s site.

The state-level FitMalaysia Fest 2016, which ends today, is hosting a line-up of activities, mass aerobics, children’s colouring constest, rope-jumping challenge, automotive demonstration and competitions, a ‘hot Spot’ challenge for visitors and a physique championship ‘Mr Gym FitMalaysia 2016’.

Fazzrudin (back row, centre), flanked by Haris on his right and Ahmad Shapawi, joins the winners of the children’s colouring contest. Also on stage are Osman and Mohd Yusuf (back row, left and right, respectively).

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