Archbishop: ‘Dato’ title a honour for Catholic Church in Sarawak

KUCHING: The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kuching, Dr Simon Poh has expressed his gratitude to the Sarawak government for bestowing upon him the Panglima Setia Bintang Sarawak (P.S.B.S) award, which carries the title ‘Dato’.

In his acceptance message posted on the Today’s Catholic website, Poh said the award is an honour of the Catholic Church in Sarawak.

“I humbly accept this award which carries the title ‘Dato’ from our Sarawak government. This is an acknowledgement of our contribution to Sarawak from the Archdiocese of Kuching, Diocese of Sibu and Diocese of Miri,” he said.

Poh said over the years, 62 Catholic Mission Schools throughout Sarawak have given thousands of children access to education; in the cities, towns and especially in communities located in the interior of Sarawak.

“The Catholic Church has constantly collaborated with our government’s effort to bring welfare services to those in need in our communities,” he said.

He also said during the last three years of pandemic, through Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS) and in collaboration with Sarawak Disaster Management Committee, have ensured that the pandemic did not spread among the rural communities.

Together with the Unit for Other Religions (UNIFOR) and Islamic Information Centre (IIC), the church has built trust and friendship among religious leaders to promote interfaith forums and inter-church dialogues for harmony and mutual understanding, he added.

“On behalf of my brother Bishop Joseph Hii of Sibu and Bishop Richard Ng of Miri, we thank our Governor and Sarawak Government for the recognition of the contribution of the Catholic Church.

“We continue the task of nation building and promotion of harmony, mutual respect and acceptance, as the daily way of life in Sarawak,” he said.

He then called upon all l Catholics and Christians to continue the good work of mercy and community building, working hand in hand for the common good of Sarawak and Malaysia.

On Saturday (Oct 12), Poh received the award from Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar during an investiture ceremony at the Astana Negeri Sarawak.