PUTRAJAYA, Sept 11 — The Madani Rakyat programme will continue to Miri, Sarawak, from September 27 to 29, according to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

He said Miri would be the second last destination for the programme this year before it ends at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah from October 18 to 20.

"Various events have been lined up and we will share the details with our media friends later,” he told a press conference here today.

Meanwhile, Fahmi said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and members of the federal Cabinet are scheduled to attend the Malaysia Day celebration at Padang Merdeka Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, on September 16.

Fahmi also called on the public to come and enliven the celebration which will also be packed with various activities, starting at 7 pm.

On another development, Fahmi, who is also Unity Government spokesperson, said the government will intensify its effort and campaign to reduce sugar intake through collaboration between ministries, agencies and statutory bodies.

He said this was among the matters raised by the Prime Minister during today’s Cabinet meeting after the Ministry of Health reported that obesity and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes among Malaysians are quite worrying, believed due to excessive sugar consumption.

"We do hope that the public will welcome this effort considering the worrying fact about obesity and non-communicable diseases in the country,” he said.

The Prime Minister, when launching the 2024 National Wellness Month celebration on Sept 8, reminded the public to take health knowledge seriously, particularly regarding the dangers of excessive sugar consumption.

He said this is due to the fact that Malaysia has the highest number of diabetes cases in Southeast Asia, reflecting that the level of health literacy among the people in the country remains low. — Bernama