Hokkien song contest draws huge response
By James Kon

Mr Tong Chee Kwong receiving his award from the Hokkien Association of Brunei's chairman while Mr Chua Teng Kiat looks on.

President of the Youth Committee presents a souvenir to Ms Peggy Haw from Kula Lumpur.

Mr Tong Chee Kwong and Ms Pricilla Khiew Pei Szu were crowned Brunei's King and Queen of Hokkien Song last Saturday night at the all-Bruneian Hokkien Singing contest in the International Convention Centre.

In the men's category, second place went to Mr Khoo Kian Loon while Mr Hung Han Wee came in third. Mrs Heu Chun Chuii got second place for the ladies' category and in third was Mrs Tong Mui Lan.

Best dress honours went to Justina Wong and Mr Lim Hock Chai, while awards for best performance were won again by Priscilla Khiew and Mr Hung Han Wee.

Organised by the Youth Committee of Hokkien Association of Brunei Darussalam, around 30 locals participated in the competition as 42 people applied and a preliminary round had to be held for selection in the finals.

All contestants not only had to show their vocal talents on stage in front of 1,000 people, but also standard or correct pronunciations in the Hokkien language. Two Chinese and Hokkien singers from Kuala Lumpur, Ms Corena Chauh and Ms Peggy Haw, were among the judges.

In his opening speech, the evening's chairman Mr Chua Teng Kiat said that he was delighted with the turnout of such a big crowd and thanked the audience for their support.

He disclosed that the association had always try to do their best in charity efforts and this event was no exception as part of the receipts from ticket sales will be donated to students who cannot afford to pay their school fees in Chung Hwa Muddle School.

After receiving the trophy, Ms Pricilla Khiew said that she was very surprised to win as this was the first contest she had joined. She thanked her father for his help in training her and hoped that she will only improve with time and get even better for future competitions.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin