by Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING April 9: Sarawak will continue to follow the official date for Hari Raya Aidilfitri announced by the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal in Malaysia, says Deputy Minister for Utility and Telecommunication (Utility) Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi.
He pointed out the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal is the deciding authority when it comes to the sighting of the moon based on ‘Rukyah’ and Hisab (Mathematics).
“This year, the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan was based on ‘Hisab’ and the first day of the fasting month is March 23, and most likely, based on these calculations the first day of (‘1 Shahwal’) Raya is April 22,” he said at ‘Program Agihan Bubur Pedas Kejiranan Mesra (KJM) DBKU’ at Masjid Darul Akmal, Taman Samariang Aman today.
Dr Abdul Rahman told reporters this when asked to comment on news that International Astronomy Centre in United Arab Emirates saying that Aidilfitri would fall on April 21.
He said that the news was from a country in the Middle East and that the country’s time zone was earlier than Malaysia’s.
“For us, we rely on the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal to announce the official date and not necessarily we follow what was announced by the news from the Middle East last night, “he said.
In 2022, the date for Hari Raya Adilfitri came a day earlier than expected, leaving many to scramble as they rushed to make last minute preparations and hurried home to reunite with their loved ones. — DayakDaily
