KUCHING: A full-dressed rehearsal for the Governor of Sarawak’s 78th birthday celebration parade was held at the Padang Merdeka, here on Thursday.
The rehearsal involved a total of 78 contingents, comprising ministries, government agencies, statutory bodies, uniformed bodies, various organisations and other participants, all coming together at 8 am.
Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry & Performing Arts, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah who is also the chairman of the celebration and Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability, Datuk Dr Hazland Abang Hipni were present to oversee the rehearsals in preparation for the parade on Saturday (Oct 12).
Abdul Karim was pleased with the smooth progress of the preparations at Padang Merdeka, optimistic about the event’s success, and grateful to all participants in the parade.
“Everything is going smoothly, and I’m hopeful the weather on the actual day will be just as pleasant as it is today,” he told reporters at Padang Merdeka.
The three-day birthday celebration will begin with a thanksgiving ceremony at the Jamek Mosque here, followed by a special sermon during Friday prayers in all mosques throughout Sarawak.
Meanwhile, today (October 11), a thanksgiving ceremony for other religions will take place at the Riverside Majestic Hotel, here beginning at 8 pm and is expected to host around 750 guests.
Following the morning parade at Padang Merdeka, an investiture ceremony for State Honours will be held at the Astana Sarawak, and later in the evening, a State Banquet will take place at the Dewan Santapan within the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Complex.
To conclude the celebrations on October 13, a Tea Reception will be held at the Sarawak Chamber, Riverside Majestic Hotel here.
The birthday celebration will be broadcasted live on TVS channel 122 on Astro and MyTV as well as the Sarawak Public Communications Unit (UKAS) Facebook page and YouTube channel.
For the record, this is the first official birthday celebration of the Governor, Tun Pehin Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar since assuming the role on Jan 26 this year.
