‘Peace, harmony begin with mutual respect’
KUCHING: Embracing diversity and respecting differences are the glue that binds Sarawak society together.
In this regard, Assistant Minister for Entrepreneur Development Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais is reminding the people to ponder about this as the festive season approaches.
“Peace and harmony begin with mutual respect. It does not matter whether ( people are) big or small, or of what colour, religion or background.
“In Sarawak, we have at least 29 different ethnic groups living together and until today, we have been preserving and enjoying this peace and harmony,” he said at the launch of tHe Spring Shopping Mall’s annual Christmas countdown – themed ‘Hey Santa!’ this year – on Thursday night.
The ceremony, which was attended by the mall’s general
Peace and harmony begin with mutual respect. It does not matter whether (people are) big or small, or of what colour, religion or background.
manager Datin Christine Ling and a number of staff members, comprised the lighting up of the Christmas tree followed by a show of fi reworks.
Adding on, Naroden also said peace and harmony had given the government the strength to pursue and implement various development plans, as well as to attain its mission and vision.
“This is the strength which has bound us together, enabling us to understand, respect, accept and compromise with one another.
“We may have our differences in beliefs and even political ideologies, but when it comes to common interests of the people, we have always reached our agreement,” he remarked.
Such core values, Naroden added, were ‘extremely important’ in preparing and enabling the present and future generations to move forward and prosper.
“This is the culture that we must uphold and strengthen together – this can be clearly seen and experienced through the sharing of such a wonderful festivity.”
Meanwhile, Ling said it had been an amazing year for tHe Spring, having achieved another milestone through its ‘Gold Award for Best Experiential Marketing 2016’ win at the inaugural ‘Malaysia Complex Management Association Awards 2016’.
Such grand recognition was bestowed upon the mall for its Christmas campaign last year themed ‘ The Spring’s Nutcracker’.
“It was a steep competition against other shopping malls throughout Malaysia. This achievement will not only motivate us, but will also push us further to keep on creating seamless retail customer experience for all.
“Not only we have welcomed new business partners such as Urban Republic, Focus Point Signature, Kidzoona and the soon- to- open DC Comics, we have also thrown our very first ‘Octoberfest’ celebration at our newly-renovated alfresco area,” she said.
The ‘ Hey Santa’ campaign is bringing a very creative shopping environment to Kuchingites, in that they get to experience a day in ‘Santa’s magical workshop’ up to Christmas Day.
It is a sight for the senses as the visitors can see all things Christmassy – from the traditional Christmas trees complete with baubles and tinsels, sleighs and reindeers, as well as the ‘elves’.
The pièce de résistance is a giant pile of colourful gift boxes – the largest of all has ‘ Santa Claus’ peeking out of it.
Parents looking for some family fun can purchase ‘train tickets’ at the North Court for their children to explore Santa’s workshop on the delightful ‘All Aboard Molly’s Train’ by Kidzoona for only RM5 apiece.
Shoppers wishing to look for unique gift ideas can head to ‘Santa’s Jolly Bazaar’ where they can choose from the range of quirky accessories from Sereni & Shentel, lovely gift sets from Crabtree and Evelyn, or sophisticated designer stationeries from Flint and Steel Borneo. They can also redeem exclusive items from the mall’s ‘Christmas Redemption’ programme such as tHe Spring’s limited edition umbrellas, Crabtree and Evelyn’s ‘ Pomegranate Body Lotion’, and even train tickets to the ‘All Aboard Molly’s Train’.
The mall is also celebrating the festive season with an array of activities such as colouring contests run by MPH Bookstore and the ‘Gingerbread Man’s’ decorating workshop by Madeleine Cafe and Patisserie.
Moreover, it is collaborating with Flint and Steel Borneo to conduct, for the first time, the ‘Christmas Calligraphy Jam’ that allows shoppers to get creative with calligraphy for free – the first 200 shoppers taking part will each receive a limited- edition Christmas greeting gard from the brand.
Shoppers will also be entertained by choir groups belting out alltime favourite Christmas tunes while on Christmas Eve, there will be the high- anticipated, spectacular annual fireworks show. For more information on the mall’s events and activities, contact its customer service at 082238222, or visit www.thespring. com.my.
Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais, Assistant Minister for Entrepreneur Development