By Nur Ashikin Louis
BAU, May 1: Sarawak Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah has assured that no race is left out in showcasing their history in the Borneo Cultures Museum (BCM).
He said before the opening of BCM, he had instructed the Sarawak Museum Department’s director and curators to ensure that its content would cover every ethnic and sub-ethnic group in Sarawak.
“When we built the BCM, my instruction to the curators and director at the time was to make sure that no one ethnicity is being left out when it comes to putting in the content of what we will showcase in the museum.
“True enough, any Sarawakian, whether you are Orang Ulu, Bidayuh, Melanau, Chinese, Iban or Malay, if you visit BCM, you will see a part of you inside there.
“And when you see a part of your culture inside there, you will feel proud that the Sarawak government also considers us,” he said when officiating Bung Bratak Day 2023, held at Bung Bratak Heritage Centre (BBHC) here today.
Abdul Karim also said that he had instructed Sarawak Arts Council (SAC) to ensure that the traditional dances of every sub-ethnic group are elevated for performances, adding that culture is a very important element in uniting the people.
“This is what we are proud of because the Sarawak government is susceptible to all this.
“Just because your ethnicity is a minority (it doesn’t mean), we have to leave you out, no.
“We do not have that sentiment where ‘my race is the supreme race’ or ‘my religion is the supreme religion’. There is no such thing as that in Sarawak.
“We are able to live peacefully the way we are today, and it is partly because we have been brought up to live peacefully with one another and respect this high level of tolerance towards each other,” he emphasised.
Amongst those present were BBHC chairman Datuk Peter Minos, Deputy Minister of Transport (Maritime and Riverine) Dato Henry Harry Jinep who is Tasik Biru assemblyman, Mas Gading MP Mordi Bimol, Serembu assemblyman Miro Simuh and Opar assemblyman Billy Sujang. — DayakDaily
