By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Oct 7: A meaningful interfaith prayer service at Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club in Miri brought Muslims and non-Muslims, including Sarawak Cabinet ministers, together in prayer to celebrate not only the 86th birthday of Sarawak Governor Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud but also the peace, unity, and harmony that every Sarawakian cherishes.
Addressing the special event, the Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, reminded that the spirit of unity and togetherness that Sarawak possessed did not come yesterday but is rather a longstanding trait of the multi-racial society in Sarawak.
“This gathering exemplifies the unity of Sarawakians which is the envy of people from other parts of the country. This culture of togetherness is unique to Sarawak, ‘hanya di Sarawak’ (only in Sarawak).
“We Sarawakians are very fortunate that we can live in peaceful co-existence with one another,” he said in his speech read by Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian.
Minister of Transport Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin, Deputy Minister of Tourism Datuk Sebastian Ting, and Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) director Richard Lon were present.
As Premier, Abang Johari added that it is his obligatory duty to protect all regardless of their racial or religious backgrounds and political affiliation and shouldering the responsibility to ensure people can enjoy the fruits of development and bring Sarawak to the forefront of national, if not regional, development by 2030.
With aggressive efforts to transition Sarawak towards a sustainable and green economy, he said Sarawak has a very bright future given its abundant resources.
“But all these cannot happen if we are not united and not focused on our objective to become a developed State where its people can enjoy high income by 2030.
“Therefore, I am glad Unifor is taking the lead to spread the message of goodwill and unity in conjunction with the official birthday celebration of our TYT so that we can continue to nurture our understanding and respect one another,” he concluded.
Organised by Unifor, the service featured interfaith prayers from six religious bodies; Baha’i, Hindu, Christian, Tao, Buddha and Sikh.
The message of unity, peace, and love for all was echoed in the prayers by members of various local houses of worship.
Initiating the service with a prayer for the wellbeing of Taib, Robin Ling from the Baha’i faith reminded us that our Head of State is an institution that has been playing an important role in fostering unity, harmony, and prosperity in Sarawak.
“The wellbeing of a nation can be realised when the wellbeing of its government and ministers are safeguarded by wise policy guided by divine teachings.
“On this important occasion of the 86th birthday of TYT, we pray for his Excellency’s well-being as he continues to inspire us and give counsel to the government, aptly led by our beloved Premier.”
This was followed by a prayer for Sarawak’s unity and harmony by Siva Sri Ganaskanthiswarar Sivachariyar of the Hindu faith, and then Pastor Bina Agong representing the Christian faith on social inclusivity where he prayed for all Sarawak leaders to be granted with wisdom, intelligence, and creativity to lead the State.
The Taoist and Buddhist faiths were represented by Ng Khien Ku and Wong Seng Ing, respectively, who led prayers on Sarawak’s economic prosperity and political stability.
Ng prayed that through able leadership, Sarawak would overcome all challenges, experience bountiful growth in all economic sectors, and achieve abundant wealth for a brighter future for the people of Sarawak.
The service concluded with a prayer for post-Covid pandemic recovery and well-being from Gurmeetpal Singh, who represented the Sikh faith.
“We pray to You, God the Merciful, that it be His will to bring an end to the pandemic and bless all of His creations to come out of this pandemic stronger, healthier, successful, and ever more faithful to You.” — DayakDaily
