| Rokiah Mahmud |
THE Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) has been allocated a budget of $76.33 million for the financial year 2017-2018, YB Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, announced during his budget speech on the eighth day of the 13th Legislative Council (LegCo) session yesterday.
The allocated budget for the ministry is less than $8.79 million compared to the $85.13 million which the ministry received for the 2016-2017 fiscal.
Despite the cuts, the minister said that MCYS will optimise and prioritise its multi-level mechanism for consultation, coordination, monitoring as well as programme evaluation by establishing more cooperation with other government ministries and departments, non-governmental organisations and the private sector towards achieving a higher level of success.
For the new financial year, he explained that his ministry has prioritised four main areas – culture, youth, sports and community.
In the area of culture, MCYS will strive to further preserve the nation’s culture, history and heritage that are regarded as the pillars of national unity and identity, while in the field of youth, the ministry will focus on enhancing the youth’s self-esteem so that they could be more independent and able to contribute towards the country’s development and well-being, the minister said.
File photo of YB Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) has been allocated a budget of $76.33 million for the financial year 2017-2018 it was announced yesterday, on the eighth day of the 13th Legislative Council (LegCo) session. – AZROL AZMI
For this, the minister said MCYS will carry out more engagement programmes by reaching out to as many youth as possible either through associations, Mukim and Village Consultative Council, schools and higher learning institutions.
In the field of sports, MCYS will provide sports and recreational infrastructure towards creating a healthy and active community, at the same time taking steps to achieving excellence in sports.
Meanwhile, in the area of community, the ministry will be taking initiatives in ensuring the welfare and well-being of the citizens and residents in the country and strengthening family institutions, towards creating unity and peace, he noted.
The minister added that MCYS needs to review and evaluate the progress of initiatives in the culture and arts field so that the efforts in preserving culture and heritage will be more focussed.
These efforts include among others opening up of district museums and improving the content of cultural roadshows held at schools and mukims, the minister pointed out.
As part of the effort in glorifying the Malay Language as the country’s official language, the Language Month programme will be enriched. At the same time, Book Festival Project and Reading Culture Empowerment Carnival will be updated so that the outcome will be more outstanding, he added.
During the deliberation, the minister also explained that the ministry will identify changes needed in the strategies used so that it would be more compatible with the current trends in the area of youth development to nurture today’s youth as future leaders.
In addition, MCYS is drawing up a new assistance programme in empowering the elderly and the disabled in the society. On this note, the minister said that MCYS, through the Social Issue National Council, is currently reviewing the Social Network System based on which the government gives assistance in the form of monthly welfare assistance, old age pension, disability pension and others.
This includes restructuring programmes and projects based on the needs and capabilities of different groups such as persons with disabilities, taking into account the resource position in addressing their issues.
The post MCYS receives $76.33M budget appeared first on Borneo Bulletin Online.