John Watson Tamin is a 31-year-old Sarawakian singer, actor, model and now winner of Mister Heritage International 2023 competition in Manila, making his home state and country, Malaysia very proud of his recent achievement.
The competition which aimed to promote, preserve and celebrate cultural heritages and tourism was held on the 28th of April and had 30 competitors from different nations like Japan, Vietnam, South Africa, and India.
John won 5,000 USD (approximately RM22,000) from the competition and also bagged titles for best spokesperson, best personality, and best grand arrival!
By dressing in the traditional Iban Ngepan clothing, the gorgeous Iban champion, John Tamin stood out from the other competitors and reflected Sarawak’s rich cultural heritage. He won the judges’ hearts with his mesmerising performance and accurate portrayal of the Iban way of life, taking first place.
Amongst the many outfits he wore, one of them was from the Ngepan Batang Ai worn by Batang Ai communities living around the Sri Aman Division in Sarawak.
Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, John said that he feels really happy and honored to represent his beloved unique country, Malaysia. He goes on to say that he felt humbled and glad to have showcased his culture to the world.
John started competing in pageants in 2019 and advice local aspiring pageant participants to give themselves a chance and try to compete. He also shared a motivating line,
“enti urang bukai ulih, nadai kebuah diri empu enda ulih’’ which means “if others can do it, there’s no reason you can’t.”
Despite his success, John also faced challenges along the way.
“I regret to say that I had to pay from my own pocket for the competition. I didn’t get any sponsorship or help from the government or any NGOs.”
We’re so proud of John’s recent win and wish him many more success in the future. We also hope our local talents will get more support and aid from the government to showcase our cultural heritages.
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