FESTIVALS
- Fostering Friendships, Goodwill and Harmony Fostering Friendships, Goodwill
and Harmonys
 |
At
the World Rainforest Music Festival. Festivals are an integral part
of our culture. Bringing in visitors to celebrate with us is a wonderful
way to promote integration and interaction
|
What are festivals to most of
us? Do we pay heed to them all? Do they bring us closer and promote tolerance
and goodwill among us? What is multiculturalism to each one of us?
Sarawak can be proud of its multiracial community who, despite the many
differences in language, religious belief, culture and lifestyle can still
co-exist in peace and harmony. The many festivals celebrated by at least
27 different races are supposedly excellent avenues to foster the spirit
of camaraderie among us. But how many of us actually feel that way?
 |
Pesta
Kaul is a special celebration of the
Melanau community |
For most, the public holidays
given for festivals and celebrations provide us the needed respite from
the rigors of
work and office pressures. How many of us actually take the time to visit
our long lost friends or relatives or participate in social programmes organized
to promote harmony and goodwill amongst us?
But before you decide to stop reading, just stop and think for a
moment – what can we do, as individuals, to build racial unity? You
see, we are in this great country where unity must be upheld at all cost
simply because we have to live with each other.
We are bound to have a Chinese, Malay or Dayak colleague and neighbours.
We can’t take peace for granted. You only have to take a look at history
to see how fragile it is.
Diversity is what makes this nation progress and prospers. It fosters intellectual
development, stimulates growth and enhances the spirit of entrepreneurship.
A society that thinks
alike and does the same limits its ability to inspire innovation and creativity.
 |
| The
lure of the exotic and the unique. Gawai Dayak Festival is a fascinating
mix of traditional rituals and social celebration |
Multiculturalism must work for us because we live in a world of intolerance.
We read about the horrors of war in Iraq, evil manifesting itself in the
form of genocide in Serbia and closer
to home the existence of militant groups set up to topple the government.
If we didn’t have the strong community tie that binds us together,
the admirable spirit of tolerance and high level of respect for each other,
it would be easy to get caught up in the ugly politics of supremacy and
power.
Our diversity is our asset. Our different cultures and religious beliefs
should not be seen as a “problem” but a gift. Our many festivals
and religious celebrations are platforms for all Malaysians to foster closer
friendships and build the spirit of
muhibbah (goodwill) within our multiracial community. Lets show the world
how to do it and we stand a chance as a living example of what is possible
in this crazy world.
But how do we do it? Talking about it a good start but not enough. Most
Malaysians understand how valuable and
precious peace is to us. Our government has done a good job to ensure that
the incident of May 13 need never rear its ugly head again.
Race and religion are areas that many fear to tread and for as long as no
one community is being discriminated, we should try to respect these sensitivities.
Understanding is also important. When we understand each other, we can learn
to be respectful and less judgmental. Biased opinions and stereotyping due
to lack of understanding and knowledge are seeds to disharmony and strife.
Left unchecked, they could lead to racial hatred and ethnic conflicts.
 |
Clowning
around. Kuching
Festival – a month long
annual celebration that brings
people from all walks of life
to join in the many fun-filled
activities in the city |
There are many ways to promote
integration and interaction among our people of such diverse cultures. Sharing
in the
excitement of its many festivals – traditional or modern in the true
spirit of muhibbah is a pleasant one.
So whether its Gawai Dayak, Chinese New Year, Hari Raya
Aidilfitri or the minor festivals like Irau Aco in Limbang or the Benak
Festival in Sri Aman, festivals are joyous social events meant to be fun
and colourful. Enjoy them and at the same time, do our part in building
a united and peaceful society that we
all can be proud of. |
|
|
