Wong hails ‘S’wak celebrate’ programme
During this festive season, all races come together to greet each other happiness, joy and of course, with community spirit and social cohesion. All of us have taken efforts to step out of our racial habitat, out of our own racial circle to share values of our culture with other people, particularly during festival season.
SIBU: Sarawak is the place where the festivals of all ethnic groups are celebrated together, thus creating new attitude, better understanding and goodwill between one another.
Minister of International Trade and E- Commerce Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh noted this is possible because people from different backgrounds have made efforts to step out of their own racial confines and circle to share values of their culture with others, particularly during festive seasons.
“I am proud to say that Sarawak is the place where the festivals of all ethnic groups are celebrated together. Now we have just celebrated Hari Gawai and also Hari Raya, and later on Christmas, followed by Chinese New Year.
“During this festive season, all races come together to greet each other happiness, joy and of course, with community spirit and social cohesion. All of us
Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, Minister of International Trade and E-Commerce
have taken efforts to step out of our racial habitat, out of our own racial circle to share values of our culture with other people, particularly during festival season.
“This is, in fact, a good way to create new attitude, better understanding and goodwill towards one another. For this occasion, we are also able to make the community understand each other’s culture and practices better, and of course, the religion and our people’s emotion and our higher aspirations better,” Wong, who is also Second Finance Minister, said when officiating at the ‘ Sarawak celebrate sempena Majlis Ngiling Bidai 2017’ here on Saturday night.
The event was jointly organised by Sibu District Office and Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) Sibu branch.
Among those present were Sibu Municipal Council ( SMC) chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King, Temenggong Stanley Gramong and Pemanca James Sembilan.
Wong hoped that gathering of this nature would give more opportunities for everyone present to get to know each other and renew their acquaintances and perhaps, to nurture greater friendship among people of different racial backgrounds.
The Bawang Assan assemblyman observed that as society progresses, people become more individualistic.
Wong congratulated the Sibu District Office under Resident Hii Chang Kee and SDNU Sibu under Chambai Lindong for successfully organising the event.
Meanwhile, acting district officer Zulkarnain Ismail said the event was historic as this was the first time ‘Sarawak celebrate sempena Majlis Ngiling Bidai’ was held here.
He pointed out the ‘ Sarawak celebrate’ programme was introduced this year for the four main festivals; namely Chinese New Year, Gawai Dayak, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Christmas.
Later, Wong gave out a grant of RM10,000 to SDNU Sibu to carry out their activities.