Kota Kinabalu: The Tabung Kasih @ Hawana fund has disbursed RM2.54 million in financial assistance to 864 media practitioners and veteran journalists nationwide since 2023.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said 37 of the recipients were media practitioners from Sabah.
“For this year, Tabung Kasih @ Hawana has channelled aid to 258 recipients, including four from Sabah.
“I hope journalists and veteran journalists who need assistance will reach out to Bernama as the secretariat of Tabung Kasih @ Hawana to extend support to those in need.
“It is hoped that Tabung Kasih @ Hawana, supported by Telekom Malaysia (TM), will help ease the burden on journalists, especially during challenging times,” she said.
Teo told reporters this after presenting Tabung Kasih @ Hawana assistance to three Sabah media practitioners here Sunday at the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) Sabah Bureau Office, Ministry of Communications Integrated Complex, during her working visit to Sabah.
At Sunday’s event, three Sabah-based media practitioners received assistance. They were TV3 executive cameraman Mohammed Fairuz Mohammed Yazzer, 35; RTM producer Kamarudin Abdullah, 46; and RTM producer Floris Philip, 54.
They suffer from a slipped cervical disc causing mobility issues at work, injuries sustained in an accident requiring physiotherapy, and a heart condition, respectively.