KUCHING, April 10: People from all walks of life embraced the Hari Raya Aidilfitri spirit with open arms as they queued long before the doors were officially due to open, to visit the Sarawak Premier’s Hari Raya open house at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) today.
Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, who hosted the event with his wife Datuk Amar Juma’ani Tun Tuanku Bujang, expressed his delight at the substantial number of visitors which surpassed last year’s total.
He attributed the large attendance to Sarawak’s unity and the cohesive community spirit, exemplified by people from various ethnicities and religions coming together to celebrate.
This, he emphasised, showcased the prevailing unity that must be upheld, especially amidst recent attempts by certain quarters to sow division elsewhere.
“Sarawak must continue to be united and strengthen the foundation for us to move forward because we have much urgent business to do, particularly to reach our target of becoming a strong and prosperous region within Malaysia.
“The unity culture is only natural to Sarawak which can be seen in other festivities celebrated in Sarawak including the past Chinese New Year and Gawai Dayak,” said Abang Johari.
His observance of the number of visitors was supported by long queues of people including families and groups of friends, awaiting their turn to enter the dining area, where delectable food such as beef rendang, stir-fried noodles, ketupat, satay, and ‘kuih lapis’ (layer cakes) were also laid out.
Every visitor was greeted with warm welcomes and cheer, while children’s eyes lit up as they received ‘duit raya’.
Ushers guided visitors through the bustling scene to find seating while many visitors also took the opportunity to capture the atmosphere with cameras.
Intricately decorated cakes representing significant icons related to the State such as the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART), the old State mosque, and Fort Margherita were also on display. They were gifted by various agencies and ministries.
Among those present were Sarawak Governor Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Deputy Premiers Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, Federal Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, Sarawak Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
The Premier’s Hari Raya open house will continue tomorrow (April 11) from 10am to 3pm. — DayakDaily
