KUCHING: “Ngiling bidai”, which translates to “rolling up of the mat”, is a symbolic ceremony carried out to mark the end of the Gawai period.
On Tuesday evening, “Gawai Ngiling Bidai 2019” was held at Imperial Hotel, officiated by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
As a nod to Sarawak’s efforts in modernisation, Abang Johari remarked that it was the first time in his knowledge the ceremonial “ngiling bidai” was carried out in an urban area.
“In a hotel, no less!” he exclaimed in wonderment.
During the festive event, a number of Iban performances entertained the crowd. One was a traditional Iban dance performed by JKKK Kampung Siol Kandis.
Another was a demonstration of pantun puji by Roslin Muntai, a unique form of poetry that few can perform nowadays.
There was also a showcase of the Iban ngepan, the traditional attire worn for special occasions.
Part of the celebrations was the presentation of incentives to students who achieved excellent results in the 2018 public exams (UPR, PT3 and SPM) and diploma exams from areas included in the reward programme. The ten students were awarded their monetary gifts by Abang Johari.
Jesica Emilyne Minggat, one of the high-achieving diploma students, was rewarded with RM500 for achieving a GPA of 3.58.
She hopes to become a computer programmer in the future.
“When preparing for my exams, I kept it simple. I just focused on what the lecturer taught us, studied with my course-mates, and of course, I always prayed.”
Fressiana Deffira Joseph achieved 7As in her SPM exam and was awarded RM400.
“I feel very happy and thankful to receive this incentive. This reward has encouraged me to do my best in the future, too,” she commented in an exclusive interview with New Sarawak Tribune.
When asked about her exam preparations, she said, “I would make my own notes after school for every subject. I made sure I understood all the topics, then I would study everything again before the exam.”
According to Fressiana, she aspires to be a doctor. She hopes to make Malaysia especially Sarawak, proud one day.
