KUCHING: Kuching Festival which has grown into a major draw over the years best exemplifies the city’s spirit of unity.
It is where people from different backgrounds come together to have a good time and strengthen their ties with each other, said Deputy Premier Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian.
“We were always thinking big even though the festival started small back in the 1980s,” he said of the event which features a generous mix of food and culture.
“Nowadays, Sarawakians who are living outside of Kuching, Sarawak or even Malaysia are coming back just for the festival to spend time with their family,” Dr Sim said at the opening of the Kuching Festival Fair 2022 at the Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Open Stage, Kuching Park Tuesday night (Aug 2).
Dr Sim, who is also Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, said he is happy that many creative stalls are being operated by the younger generation.
“I was surprised when I asked where they learnt the way to make the food they are selling, they told me they learnt it from YouTube.
“They are using this platform to show their creativity in culinary and their business know-how, and I am proud to see the people, especially the ones from Kuching, to come here and support them.
“Some of these stalls only sell their food once a year and if you miss the opportunity, you will have to come next year just to get a taste of the food again.
“Even though you hear some of the people in Kuching talking about how expensive the food is and how tough it is to find parking, you would still see them come to Kuching Festival just to enjoy the food,” he added.
Dr Sim also thanked the non-governmental organisations for their nightly cultural performances at the Open Stage to keep the festival lively.
“I would also like to thank the sacrifices of the medical and enforcement frontliners over the past couple of years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The mass vaccination programme has slowly allowed us to live our life normally in Sarawak this year, which is shown here at the festival,” he added.
Among those present were Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and wife Datin Zuraini Abdul Jabbar; Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (DBKU and Islamic Affairs) Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi; Public Health, Housing and Local Government Deputy Ministers Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil and Michael Tiang; Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Native Law and Customs) Jefferson Jamit Unyat; Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng; and Kuching Festival 2022 organising chairman Goh Tze Hui.
