Inaugural ‘Sarawak Celebrates’ unity night draws multi-racial crowd
SIBU: People of all races attended the first Unity Night held in conjunction with Chinese New Year here.
The Federation of Seven Clan Associations ( FSCA) and Sibu Resident and District Offices under the patronage of Ministry of Youth and Sports and Solidarity took up the challenge to host the event at a hotel here on Sunday night.
Every table at the event was filled up by guests from various races.
Towards the end of the dinner, everyone rose to sing ‘ Rasa Sayang’ together.
In his speech, Sibu Resident Hii Chang Kee said the event was to promote interaction and networking among the various races.
“So I hope that through the various programmes tonight such as the lion dance, ‘yee sang’ (tossing), Chinese songs and dances, you will have a better understanding of the Chinese celebrations,” he said.
Hii said that the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Solidarity has under its Key Results Area of Societal Well- Being an initiative called ‘ Sarawak Celebrates’ which seeks to introduce the concept of ‘ Kongsi-Raya’ in all the festivals celebrated in the state.
“In a multiracial society like Sarawak, there are many festivals being celebrated by various races with different racial, religious and cultural backgrounds.
“Sarawak Celebrates will encourage the participation of all races in each others’ festivals in an open house setting. By doing so, it helps to promote racial harmony in the state,” he said.
Hii disclosed that this year, the state government has identified four major celebrations to be included in the programme – Chinese New Year, Gawai Dayak, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Christmas.
He said that Sarawak Celebrates will be carried out in all the 40 districts in Sarawak.
In Sibu Division, he said the Sibu Resident Office will lead the District Offices in Sibu, Kanowit, and Selangau to host the celebrations in their respective districts.
He said the uniqueness of the Sarawak Celebrates initiative is that its programmes are community-initiated rather than government-initiated.
“We will identify relevant NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to co-host the celebrations together with the District Offices,” he added.
Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh officiated at the function.
Also in attendance were Temenggong Dato Vincent Lau, Temenggong Datuk Wan Hamid Edruce, Temenggong Stanley Gramong, Sibu District Officer Awang Yusuf Awang Mustapha and FSCA president Chung Bui Kuek, among others.