By William Isau
SIBU, June 15: A special Sarawak Day song will be played at the Sarawak Day celebration at 8pm on July 22 at Sibu Indoor Stadium.
Speaking at a press conference after chairing the organising committee meeting today, Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said Sibu will be hosting Sarawak Day for the first time since the celebration started in 2016.
The special song, she said, was created to touch the soul of the people of Sarawak and further evoke the spirit of love for the State among the people.
Other items on the programme include a 30-minute Rosli Dhoby musical theater performance, a special video for Sarawak Day titled the “Lost Kingdom of Sarawak” and a dance performance themed ‘Thousand Hands, Thousand Hopes’ by local and national artists.
She called on the public to converge at the stadium to witness the celebration. However attendance is limited to 800 people according to the capacity of the stadium.
Touching on Sarawak Day, Fatimah noted July 22 has been declared a public holiday in Sarawak so that all Sarawakians will remember it as an important moment in history to spread the spirit of love for the State.
“This historic moment should be remembered by all levels of society in Sarawak, especially the younger generation today because on that date (July 22, 1963), Sarawak governed itself for a period of about two months before forming the Federation of Malaysia with Sabah (North Borneo) and Malaya.
“Starting from that date, Sarawak built an understanding and consensus among its multi-racial community in forming a united and harmonious State,” she noted.
She urged the public to fly the Sarawak flag at their respective premises as a sign of gratitude as well as to enliven the celebration.
“Hopefully the organising of the Sarawak Day celebration this year will unite all the people to appreciate the spirit of patriotism, appreciate the struggles of the past and the struggles of the present as we face various challenges, and appreciate what we have achieved so that we can become a harmonious State,” said Fatimah. — DayakDaily
