Over 5,000 attended the official opening of "Civil Service Day 2025" at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching

Over 5,000 members of Sarawak's civil service had joined this year's "Civil Service Day" which was held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) that was officiated by our right honourable Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Abang Haji Openg.

It was a delightful event where our civil servants from all government ministries, agencies and departments had gathered together to hear for themselves the various speeches delivered by the Federal Chief Secretary, our honourable State Secretary of Sarawak and the guest of honour, the Premier of Sarawak.

Our esteemed premier had expressed his appreciation to the state and Federal civil service members, describing them as the backbone in realizing Sarawak's development policies.

Among the other key points that he had mentioned were on the importance of continuing commitment of government officials, especially in the education and health sectors, enables critical issues like dilapidated schools and the role of the Health Department to be addressed effectively through close cooperation between state and Federal levels. The transformation and adaptation of Sarawak's civil service had proven itself capable of adapting to ongoing transformation agendas, particularly regarding digitalization and efficient fund management. 

In achieving the lean government model, we need to progress in the digitalization and organized fiscal governance which are important pillars in ensuring our government's administration is more efficient, responsive, and not burdensome.

 

Delightful time at the recent "WAK 2025" appreciation dinner & looking forward to achieving 5 million tourists in 2025

We had a delightful evening at the recent “We Are Kindred Festival (WAK 2025) Appreciation Dinner” which was held at Theatre Hotel Kuching. Also present during the dinner were the list of supporters and collaborators of this year’s WAK event which had various exciting activities as well as programs held in Kuching, Sibu and Miri. In my speech, I described the festival as an important catalyst in Sarawak's creative industry, fostering innovation, cultural exploration, and collaboration among our multi-racial community. The expansion of WAK events to Sarawak’s central and northern regions had highlighted the growing interest in arts and creativity across our state. 

On another note, I have highlighted the importance of support and collaboration from both government agencies, private sector and non governmental organizations (NGOs) in making this year's WAK a huge success and attracted the attention of our local folks.

With the staging of colourful events in Sarawak, we are able to attract visitors from domestic and international sectors which in return contributing the tourism receipts that had breached the RM1 billion mark in October 2025. The tourism receipt had also showed Sarawak's positive momentum of consistently achieving over RM1 billion every month since January 2025. 

Our visitors' number had also reached 414, 225 people in October and those from the international sector had reached 212,250 people.

We are also optimistic for Sarawak to reach its target of five million tourists by the end of 2025 and the state government will continue to strengthen our position as a premier destination through the organizing of high-impact events, aggressive promotions and development of new tourism products to woo visitors.

“Samarahan Food and Cultural Festival 2025 (SFCF2025)” will be held from 21 to 29 November at Desa Ilmu Market Place in Kota Samarahan

The much awaited “Samarahan Food and Cultural Festival 2025 (SFCF2025)” will be held from 21 to 29 November at the Desa Ilmu Market Place in Kota Samarahan and the organisers are optimistic for it to become a signature tourism event which is capable of attracting visitors from across Samarahan and other divisions including Kuching. I have mentioned this to our media friends during the recent press conference held at Majlis Perbandaran Kota Samarahan (MPKS) and for a festival of this scale, the organisers may achieve around 250,000 visitors which is possible since it is bringing together Samarahan’s rich food and cultural heritage in a 10-day showcase.

The annual event would feature various traditional dishes and cultural elements from Malay, Iban, Bidayuh, Bugis, Jawa and Chinese communities which will be a crowd puller considering Samarahan’s position as a residential and education hub. 

The festival is aimed to introduce the uniqueness of food and culture found in Samarahan. With so many ethnic groups here, the festival can feature traditions rarely seen elsewhere. Thus, the event also offers families a chance to enjoy different dishes without needing to cook at home throughout the festival period.

With support from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and local agencies, we believe the event will reflect Samarahan’s local identity and strengthen community participation. There will be nightly cultural performances would include Malay ‘bermukun’, ‘bertandak’ and ‘kompang’, Iban ‘gendang pampat’, Bugis cultural items and Chinese traditional arts. Cultural groups from Kelantan, Kedah and Melaka under UNIMAS’ cultural units would also be featured throughout the festival. Popular singers from Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia — including Baby Shima, Baggio Damasutra, Mawat, Rickie Andrewson and Winnie Albert — would further enliven the event.

The public are invited to join the event which will enable them to see cultural elements beyond Sarawak through the participation of groups from Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. These cultural performances will help broaden cultural appreciation and strengthen Samarahan’s role as a gathering point for different traditions.

There are a number of exciting side activities which include Samarahan Idol, Fun Run, Cooking Competition, Pineapple Arrangement Contest, Aerobathon Challenge, Battle of the Bands and a three-hour Non-Stop Zumba session. The festival would also provide business opportunities for local food vendors and young entrepreneurs to expand their business exposure and develop their interest in food-based industries.

Thumbs up to the "Kamek Prihatin, Kitak Penting" outreach program organised by the Ministry of Women, Children and Community Wellbeing Sarawak (KPWK)

Last weekend I had attended the "Kamek Prihatin, Kitak Penting" outreach program organised by the Ministry of Women, Children and Community Wellbeing Sarawak (KPWK) which is part of our Sarawak Government's commitment to go to the ground with strategic partners to ensure that various services can be channeled directly to the local communities.

Our heartfelt thanks to Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, the Women, Children and Community Wellbeing Sarawak together with KPWK and Sarawak's Community Welfare Department and various agencies for organising the program in Asajaya district with the launching at Kampung Sebandi Ulu Community Hall.

Through the program, the various government's assistance and essential services are delivered directly to our local folks, thus fostering a spirit of togetherness and supporting the aspirations of Sarawak's Post-COVID-19 Development Plan (PCDS 2030).

The program also symbolizes our Sarawak Government's philosophy of going to the ground and reaching out to the local communities at large simply because it is more effective and have far reaching effects.

Our local folks are important and thus, it is important to bring services and information directly to them and such efforts are being done so that those who previously did not know about the assistance or services provided by government agencies and ministries can find out about it.

All eyes on the "Festival Seni Sarawak 2025 (FSS2025) held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK)

This year’s “Festival Seni Sarawak (FSS2025)” had received overwhelming attention and supprt from our local folks. Many had come from throughout Kuching division, Samarahan, Serian, Sibu, Miri and Mukah just to attend the fusion, contemporary dance competition and traditional Malay songs contest. The event is at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) was organised by Majlis Seni Sarawak (MSS). Kudos to the organisers who had successfully curate another exciting cultural and performing arts event that had captivated the attention of our local folks including secondary school students and those from institutes Of higher learning.

The event is much welcomed by our Sarawak Government because it is important for sustaining rich cultural traditions in Sarawak while providing appropriate platforms for the preservation, talent development, community unity, and also tourism promotion. It is also good for our Cultural Preservation because it provides a suitable environment to practice, perform, document, and pass on traditional knowledge and art forms to younger generations, ensuring they are not forgotten to time. Such initiatives also help to keep the heritage alive and relevant in a modern world. 

The promotion of such events will also unearth new, young talent and offer emerging artists a platform to showcase their skills, fostering the next generation of performers and cultural ambassadors while fostering Cultural Appreciation and Identity among the target groups especially our young folks. By actively involving the various participants and audiences, it will deepen our society’s appreciation for the complexity and diversity of Sarawak's heritage. Thus, it will strengthen our rich cultural identity and a sense of belonging among the communities from various background.

It is also heartening for us to see the audience comprised of local folks coming from different ethnicities and background. The Sarawak Government through Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak will continue support the organising of cultural festivals and competitions that bring together people from diverse backgrounds, fostering unity, mutual respect, and understanding among Sarawak's multiracial society. They serve as social gatherings where communities can interact and share joy. 

These potential of organising colourful events such as the “Festival Seni Sarawak” will also attract the attention of both local and foreign visitors which in return has the potential in generating economic opportunities for local artists, practitioners, and the hospitality sector. Tourists are more attracted to visit us here to experience our local hospitality, culture, making these events valuable assets for the tourism industry.