BUTTERWORTH: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has arrived at the PICCA Convention Centre @ Butterworth Arena to officiate the highlight of the National Journalists’ Day (Hawana) 2026 celebration.
Anwar arrived at 2.40pm on Saturday (June 20) and was received by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil and Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Hamzah.
Upon arrival, he also took the opportunity to visit the exhibition booths and the Hawana 2026 Photo Gallery set up at the venue’s foyer.
At the event, the Prime Minister is scheduled to present the Hawana Award and the Special Hawana Award to individuals who have made significant contributions to journalism and the development of public thought.
He will also hand over contributions from the Kasih@Hawana Fund to deserving media veterans.
Held under the theme ‘Media Integrity Strengthens Credibility’, the Hawana 2026 main event has brought together about 1,000 media practitioners from Malaysia and abroad, serving as a strategic platform to generate fresh ideas and shape the direction of contemporary journalism.
Also present were Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, Bernama chief executive officer and Hawana 2026 Working Committee chairman Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin, Bernama editor-in-chief and deputy chairman of the Hawana 2026 Working Committee Arul Rajoo Durar Raj, and deputy editor-in-chief (News Service) and Hawana 2026 project director Mohd Shukri Ishak.
The event was also attended by Asean delegates, including Timor-Leste Secretary of State for Social Communication Expedito Loro Dias Ximenes, Cambodia's Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Information Prak Thaveak Amida, and Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office of Laos' Ministry of Technology and Communications Phuangpasert Keosouvanh.
Also in attendance were the president of Timor-Leste's news agency, Agencia Noticiosa de Timor-Leste (TATOLI), Noemio Mateus Soares Falcao, and its deputy president, Madalena DE JCP Carlos.
The Hawana 2026 main event was also attended by international media delegates, including those from Indonesia's Antara News Agency, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), Xinhua News Agency, the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), and the Ikatan Setiakawan Wartawan Malaysia-Indonesia (ISWAMI).
Organised by the Communications Ministry with Bernama as the implementing agency, Hawana serves as a key platform to recognise the dedication, professionalism and role of media practitioners in delivering accurate, authentic and credible information to the public. – Bernama
