KUCHING: Datuk Wee Hong Seng wants the people, especially the current generation, to continue to remember their respective roots and culture.
The Kuching South City Council (MBKS) mayor said this is to ensure that the culture and roots can be taught towards the next generation.
“All these cultural aspects and elements should be continous to be inherit down and to be spread from next generation to another.
“Because without culture, we have no roots, and without roots, we have no identity as well,” he said.
He said this when met by reporters after attending officiating at the 39th National Chinese Cultural Festival and lighting of festival torch ceremony, representing Tourism, Culture and Arts Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing at MBKS building here, today (Sept 13).
Regarding the cultural festival, Wee stated that it symbolises the unity among the Chinese community in Sarawak.
At the same time, despite being it being the Chinese Cultural Festival, he hope that the aspect of Chinese culture can be shared to other races.
“This is to ensure that everybody can learn from our culture and to understand even more.
“As we can see, this is the part that will unite our people together, continue our harmonious moment here.
“This is not just an event, it is one of the educational and cultural way of spreading our culture to other races so that they can appreciate it as well,” he added.
With over 2,000 people participating, the festival is ongoing from Sept 13 to 15.
Also present during the ceremony were Federation of Chinese Association of Malaysia president Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Goh Tian Chuan, Federation Chinese Association of Sarawak president Datuk Richard Wee and other distinguished guests.