BETONG: Younger Dayaks should know their culture well to develop, treasure and cherish it, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah.
“Your culture is a very important aspect of your lives as it was also a way of life for your elders,” he added when officiating at a prize-giving ceremony for the Betong Division Gawai Procession at the Tan Sri Stephen Kalong Ningkan Hall here yesterday.
“We have a very beautiful and colourful culture as manifested especially in our traditional costumes and our dances which should make us proud because they can contribute to the diversity of the Malaysian culture,” Uggah stressed.
“By preserving our culture, we can continue to proudly show it to the world, and there are many activities which can also captivate foreign tourists in addition to the natural or historical attractions that Betong offers.
“Our culture is a unifying factor for all of us and to other Malaysians. So, let us continue to uphold it against the ravages of time,” Uggah said who is also Bukit Saban assemblyman.
Twenty-six contingents involving 1,300 participants took part in the annual procession which covered a distance of two kilometres as part of the division’s Gawai Carnival.
It is believed to be the first Gawai procession in the state as part of the upcoming Gawai Dayak celebration on June 1.
Among those present at the event were Betong MP Datuk Robert Lawson Chuat, Layar assemblyman Gerald Rentap, a political secretary to the Chief Minister Dr Richard Rapu and Betong Resident Friday Belik.
SMK St Augustine emerged as the best contingent for the third time to keep the procession’s challenge trophy.
The school team also received RM10,000 from Uggah at the function.
