KUCHING: The presence of leaders of various religious institutions consisting of Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Tao, Sikh, and Baha’i faiths certainly gave greater meaning to the thanksgiving ceremony held in conjunction with Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s 85th birthday celebration.
On behalf of the Unit for Other Religions (Unifor), Deputy State Secretary (Rural Transformation) Datuk Ik Pahon Joyik thanked all the religious bodies and institutions for their continuous support and cooperation towards programmes and activities organised by Unifor.
He said this support was shown be it in good times or challenging times, such as now in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Without your support and inputs, the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) would not have been able to disseminate relevant information and enforce the standard operating procedure (SOP) on Covid-19 effectively.
“You have played your role well and I am sure SDMC chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and others in the SDMC committee are highly appreciative and acknowledge all your contributions.
“Let’s continue the fight against Covid-19 and together we will win,” he said in his speech at the thanksgiving ceremony organised by Unifor at The Waterfront Hotel here on Friday (Oct 8).
Ik Pahon noted that this was the second time that Unifor had organised a thanksgiving ceremony in conjunction with the Head of State’s birthday celebration.
He also highlighted the uniqueness of Sarawak, pointing out that the state is known for its multiracial and multireligious society, living side by side in peace and harmony and celebrating its diversity through the various religious festivals together.
“We have been able to co-exist and exhibit a high level of respect toward each other. Let’s continue to portray these harmonious relations and be a model for others to emulate.
“On this very special occasion as we jointly celebrate our Tuan Yang Terutama (TYT) Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak’s 85th birthday through thanksgiving, we pray that our TYT will continue to be blessed with abundance of health, happiness, wisdom, and long life to lead Sarawak to greater heights in the years to come.”
During the ceremony, representatives of various non-Islamic faiths delivered thanksgiving prayers in conjunction with the Head of State’s birthday celebration.
In the delivery of the thanksgiving prayers, the Christian faith was represented by Archbishop Dr Simon Poh, Hindu faith by Prabu Kripa Sindu Krishna, Tao faith by Ho Ho Boon, Buddhist faith by Venerable Bhikkhuni Dhammika, Sikh faith by Gurdial Singh, and Baha’i faith by Chin Chia Chau.
Also present were Uggah, Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian, Sarawak State Secretary Datuk Amar Jaul Samion, Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Deputy Speaker Datuk Gerawat Gala, Assistant Minister of Utilities (Rural Electricity) Datuk Liwan Lagang who was representing the minister-in-charge of the celebration, and other dignitaries and representatives.
