Asajaya rep: Visit state more often and discover folk here are equally developed

By VANES DEVINDRAN vanes@thestar.com.my

Tuesday September 20, 2011

KUCHING: Malaysians from the peninsula have been asked to visit Sarawak more often so that they get to know the people here better.

Abdul Rahman Karim Hamzah, the political secretary to the Chief Minister, said some wrong perceptions of the state and its people remained a thorny issue because of the lack of traffic between Sarawak and the peninsula.

He said it was unfortunate that there were Peninsular Malaysians who believed that Sarawakians were living on trees.

He said the reason for the misperception was because these Peninsular Malaysians never visited the state. 

“Believe it or not, we still get questions like if Sarawakians are still living on trees from some of our Semenanjung brothers and sisters. These people still perceive Sarawakians as so backward that we don’t even know how to build houses.

“However, as you can see for yourself, we are developing well just like any other states in the peninsula,” he said at a Hari Raya gathering for a group of visitors representing several neighbourhood watch committees from the peninsula here on Sunday night.

Proof of participation: Karim presenting a certificate to a participant of the integration and unity visit to homestays in Samarahan as Azman (left) and National Unity and Integration state director Dirwana Azool look on during the Hari Raya gathering.

The programme was organised by the National Unity and Integration Department as a platform to get participants to see how the state was shaping up.

Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman, viewed the programme as crucial to national integration, saying a lot more needed to be done to narrow the psychological gap that had been separating Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.

He said the five days the visitors spent here were too short a time to see Sarawak and learn about the cultures of the state’s 28 ethnic groups.

“If you were to go up north, you would find that the majority group is the Orang Ulu, but as you go closer to Kuching, you will find the Malays, Ibans and the Bidayuhs.

“If you have the time, come back. Bring your families and re-visit us. You have seen much, but you will see more if you come again.

“Nothing beats seeing it for real. You learn about the people and their culture, and what’s more, air tickets are affordable nowadays,” he added.

Earlier, the department’s director-general Datuk Azman Amin Hassan said integration and unity among all Malaysians would be further strengthened through visits such as this.

He said the present visit was made more significant as it was scheduled to coincide with Malaysia Day.

“Not only do we reflect on the formation of our nation, but the fact is we are in Sarawak, the state that united with the rest (Malaya, Sabah and Singapore) to form Malaysia,” he said.

The visitors numbered 73 and they came on a five-day visit to homestays in the Samarahan area, including an Iban longhouse.