By Yee Mei
BINTULU, Sept 26: The Sarawak government is serious about safeguarding its cultural heritage using its own inclusive mould, says Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Citing the Sarawak leg of the ‘Kembara Kenali Borneo’ royal tour earlier this month, the Premier spoke on how Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah set protocols aside to be with the people and take selfies, regardless of background and social standing — even teasingly announcing that one of his sons is still single.
“This is (Sarawak’s) culture. I touch on this because it is the question of where there is a deep understanding of culture, so much so that there are no weaknesses in terms of communication between one another.
“The Sarawak government is taking seriously the question of ‘moulding’, whereby we have this (kind of) interaction happening voluntarily — not forced — and becoming a ‘cultural mix’.
“If you have that understanding, the future of Sarawak is there,” he said while speaking at the officiation ceremony of the 3rd International Conference on Science, Social Sciences, and Humanities (ICOSSH) 2023 at Parkcity Everly Hotel in Bintulu today.
He added that social inclusivity was something the late Chief Minister, Pehin Sri Adenan Satem, was serious about, as it will become the basis for Sarawak to move forward by fostering mutual respect between the various ethnic groups.
“When we talk about social inclusivity, the policy of the Sarawak government is ‘across the board’. We take into consideration the various ethnic groups in Sarawak, and they must be together in all policies implemented by the government,” he said.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) deputy vice chancellor for Academic and International Prof Dr Ismi Arif Ismail were also present. — DayakDaily
