sarawakbahai.org

16 July 2008 No Comment

The evening of 22nd May 2004 was a merry and joyful occasion for Kampung Selampit, the largest Bahá’í community in the State. The Local Spiritual Assembly and the Department for External Affairs jointly organized the special event in which the Federal Assistant Minister for Kemajuan Luar Bandar dan Wilayah, YB Datuk Dr. Tiki Lafe was the guest of honour. Also specially invited were YB Peter Nansian and Temenggong Stephen Jussem, and other community leaders.

The celebration was held at the community hall, which, with a capacity for only 400-500 people, was not able to fully accommodate the more than 700 people who came for the event. The program started with prayers, including a chant from a representative of the Muslim community. The ketua kampung, Mr. Jitwil gave a welcoming speech to the audience followed by an address by YB Peter Nansian who stressed that all religions lead mankind to God and that we are lucky to have religious unity among the various religious groups in the country. Dr. John Fozdar, a member of NSA Sarawak and the chairman of the Department of External Affairs, gave a brief explanation on the purpose and significance of the celebration.

The local women’s group, a large contingent of youth and the children performed several dances and songs during the social part of the program. A small group of youth from Kuching also chipped in to entertain the audience. The children in particular put up a well-rehearsed performance with a delightful mixture of acrobat and local dances.

YB Dr. Tiki, who came straight from the airport after an official function in Sabah on the same day, indicated in his speech his gratefulness on being invited for the occasion. As the member of parliament for the area, he particularly stressed his desire to see the community progress materially and have a clear vision of what they can achieve in the next five years or so.

The celebration ended with a sumptuous spread of refreshment which the community had prepared—sticky rice cooked in bamboo, fried chicken parts, grated tapioca steamed in banana leaves, noodles, and melons, etc.