KUCHING: Gagasan NGO Dayak Sarawak, a non-governmental organisation, has urged the Malaysian federal government to declare the Gawai Dayak festival in Sarawak and the Kaamatan festival in Sabah as national public holidays.
In a press statement issued today (May 6), the organisation said that the declaration of May 31 and June 1 as public holidays for the entire country is important to better serve the states of Sabah and Sarawak.
“The organisation suggests that the public holidays for Kaamatan and Gawai Dayak throughout the country be on May 31 and June 1, respectively, while the additional holidays on May 30 for the Kaamatan Festival and June 2 for the Gawai Dayak festival will still be used by Sabah and Sarawak.
“The move is aimed at respecting the rights of the people of Sabah and Sarawak as stated in the Malaysia Agreement (MA63).
“The position of Sabah and Sarawak in the federation of Malaysia is unique, and both states helped establish Malaysia,” it said.
The Gagasan NGO Dayak Sarawak added that the declaration of the two festivals as national public holidays will protect the customs, culture, and celebrations of the indigenous people of Sabah and Sarawak.
“The preparation of the national calendar and the planning of federal government departments often do not take into account the celebrations, existence, or needs of government employees originating from Sabah and Sarawak,” stated the statement.
The association hoped that this action would foster mutual respect among different religions and ethnicities throughout Malaysia through the celebration of both festivities throughout the country.
