SIBU: Sarawak needs to continuously preserve and promote its culture despite being deemed as a role model of Malaysia for being a region where diversity can be celebrated in peace.
Deputy Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Michael Tiang Ming Tee said that instead, Sarawakians need to work harder and continue to promote diversity of our society to the outside world.
“This sort of tradition is very important for us to continue practicing and inherit specially to produce all this different culture with other races and religions,” he said at the Lions eye-dotting ceremony at Eng Ann Teng Tua Pek Kong Temple here on Sunday.
Meanwhile, on the ceremony, Tiang who is also the Pelawan assemblyman said that the ritual is to ‘activate’ or empower the lion to fulfill its duty of bringing about protection, good luck, health, and prosperity to those present.
“I wish this tradition will bring prosperity, stability, unity to Sarawak especially when we are just coming out from COVID-19 pandemic.
“The road ahead is still full of challenges although Sarawak is actually progressing very well and stable economically. We are moving step by step toward our goal of becoming a developed state by year 2030,” he said.
At the ceremony, Tiang was seen ‘bringing the lions to life’ by placing red dots on different parts of its body.
He first dotted the lion’s eyes for it to ‘see’, the nose to ‘smell’, the ears to ‘hear’ the beat of the drum, and the mouth, of course, to ‘taste’.
Finally, he painted the red ink from the top of the lion head and along its spine to its tail to complete the ritual.
