KUCHING: This year’s Kuching Festival has gone digital, with stalls offering Sarawak Pay to visitors.
This effort is in line with the Chief Minister Datuk Pattingi Abang Johari Tun Openg’s aspiration towards achieving digital economy.
Sarawak Pay is the Sarawak government Fintech Platform that provides the technology and business tools for secure, fast and convenient mobile wallet and digital payment transactions. This initiative is one of the strategic actions to digitise the Sarawak state economy.
Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Mayor Datuk James Chan Khay Syn said the state’s current digital payment system made it very convenient for Kuching Festival patrons, especially visitors.
“They can purchase food using Sarawak Pay.
“Now, every country is going towards cashless service, so we also need to tap into this new way of payment,” he added at the launch of the Kuching Festival 2019 on Friday night.
Chan said the council had also incorporated customised online registration for Kuching Festival activities to improve efficiency, eliminate unnecessary paperwork and maximise participation and improve marketing capabilities.
“We allowed participants to sign up when and where it was most convenient for them from the iPeople mobile app.”
Chan’s text of speech was read by the deputy mayor Hilmy Othman.
On the aims of the Kuching Festival, Chan explained they were to develop young entrepreneurs by providing them with the opportunity to sell their products for 24 nights and also to foster cohesion and unity among the Kuching folks.
“Kuching Festival is the embodiment of the uniqueness of our multi-cultural and multi-racial society,” he said, adding that the festival was already well known in this region and had made a name for itself. Many people from Singapore, West Malaysia, Indonesia and overseas had booked flights to Kuching just to visit the Kuching Festival, he added.
“We are always happy to provide the avenue and platform for all Kuchingites to come together as one to participate and enjoy the richness of our diverse food and culture,” said Chan.
Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian launched the Kuching Festival on Friday night on behalf of the Chief Minister.
Later, visitors had the opportunity to watch the beautiful fireworks display followed by stage performances by artistes from Asuke of Japan, Guro City of South Korea and Quanzhou of People’s Republic of China.
