KUCHING, April 20: A group of Sarawakian indigenous people’s attempt to create history by boarding an aircraft barefoot in traditional Iban ‘sirat’ attire has been thrown into disarray when multiple participants’ flights were rescheduled.
Sarawak human rights activist Peter John Jaban, who is leading the 72-man group, said they had booked their tickets for the same April 30 flight as early as December 2021, but due to the rescheduling, some participants could no longer make the trip.
“Many of us had taken leave from work so that they can be there for the whole programme. Now that AirAsia has bumped several of our party to a later time of departure and even time of return, some will miss the opening event, and many will not be able to return to work on time.
“Since the majority of us are professionals or government servants, some have even had to cancel their attendance as a result,” he said, lamenting that the number of participants in the Sarawak contingent for the four-day cultural exchange event with Sabah would be reduced significantly.
Peter said the spectacle of ‘sirat’ onboard a plane to Sabah is only the beginning of their planned event. On arrival in Sabah, the group from Sarawak intends to perform in Kota Kinabalu with other indigenous groups before progressing to Penampang for a ritual gathering.
“Our event has been decimated. While this might seem a small matter, we do not believe that we are the only ones to suffer at the hands of AirAsia’s timetable changes.
“As the grip of the pandemic releases, we are all returning to long overdue business meetings, family gatherings, weddings, events and even much anticipated and planned holidays. AirAsia seem to have no conception of this.
“People book at a certain time for a certain reason. A day can make the difference between seeing your daughter married and missing the most important day of her life entirely,” he said in a statement today.
Despite the reduced grandeur, Peter said the show must go on and they would ensure that it is an event for all Sarawakians to remember.
Yesterday, members of the group met with Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and his deputy Datuk Snowdan Lawan, to receive a letter of support from the ministry for the cultural and tourism event. — DayakDaily
