MP pleased with presence of Foochow leaders
KAPIT: Kapit Member of Parliament Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi was overwhelmed by the attendance of many distinguished Foochow community leaders from throughout the country at the 90th anniversary celebration of Kapit Foochow Association on Saturday night.
Nanta was there as a guest a honour together with Bukit Goram assemblyman Jefferson Jamit Unyat, political secretary to the chief minister Maurice Giri and Bukit Mabong district officer Douglas Pungga.
The Foochow community leaders were among the about 300 representatives from 43 Foochow associations in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Brunei, Labuan and Sarawak attending the auspicious occasion.
“Tonight l would like to extend my gratitude to the organising chairman and the organising committee for this celebration. I am no stranger to Foochow celebrations, so l feel very much at home among friends in the Foochow community except that tonight I am a little bit overwhelmed by the presence of the many distinguished Foochow community leaders who came from throughout the country. This is something new to me. In the past we had some high ranking leaders, may be four or five of them, coming over but this time around there are so many of you. I am very happy among you tonight and also very happy to meet someone like Dato Sri Lau Wei Kiong, who is the deputy president of the World Foochow Association,” said Nanta.
In his speech, he described Kapit as a melting pot of diverse communities that enabled it to progress.
“Yes, Kapit is a remote town, we are an outpost but we are no longer a poor place. You must accordingly appreciate what have been done by the government. There are so many changes brought by development. Five years ago, we didn’t have road to Song. Tonight after this function, people from Song can drive back.
“We must appreciate what we have and we must work harder to get more. That is how we go forward.”
He appreciated the Kapit Foochow Association for working closely with him and other leaders of the government for the development of Kapit and the progress of its people.
Later, Nanta presented a cheque for RM500,000 from the Sarawak government to the chairman of the Kapit Foochow Association, Sii Bang Ee, for the cemetery project along Jalan Antaroh.