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By Karen Bong
KUCHING, July 6: Indonesian rock band Ungu, known for their hit singles such as “Tercipta Untukku”, is set to perform at the peak of Koncert Rakyat to be held as part of the ’60 Years of Sarawak Independence’celebration at Padang Merdeka on July 22 starting at 7.15pm.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said that the celebration of Sarawak’s diamond jubilee will be held on a grand scale to honour the unity of Sarawak, while recognising the achievements and struggles faced over the past six decades.
“To liven the celebration atmosphere, the public are invited to join us in this momentous celebration including in the open events like the parade, Koncert Rakyat, boat procession and street parade,” he said during a press conference after chairing a meeting on the ’60 Years of Sarawak Independence’ celebration at his office in Baitulmakmur Building here today.
The concert will also feature Malaysian rockstar Dato Awie, rapper Joe Flizzow, girl group Dolla and band Floor 88.
Sarawak bands and artistes including Masterpiece Band, Elizabeth Paya (representing Orang Ulu), Bob Yunus (representing Malay), Ng Chien Chien (representing Chinese), Firdaus Materang (representing Melanau), Carrie Geres (representing Bidayuh) and Ramles Walter (representing Iban) will also grace the stage.
Furthermore, the celebration will include a mesmerising drone performance and captivating fireworks displays, to be lighted twice, which can also be witnessed at the VIP Foyer of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) Complex.
Apart from the concert and other major ceremonies, Abdul Karim said that a parade of floats, with the participation of 22 boats including “perahu tambang” and jetskis, will take place on July 29 at the Kuching Waterfront, starting at 7pm.
“On that night, local artistes like Dayang Nurfaezah and Hafiz Suip will also be performing,” he added.
The grand celebration will also see a Street Parade in three cities namely Kuching on Aug 5, Sibu on Aug 12 and Miri on Aug 19, with some 60 contingents expected to be involved in each division.
Sarawak Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, Deputy Minister of Telecommunication Datuk Liwan Lagang, Deputy Minister of Tourism Datuk Sebastian Ting, and Deputy Minister of Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations Datuk Sharifah Sayeed Aman Ghazali were among those present. — DayakDaily
