Dr Sim urges Sarawakians to uphold racial harmony for state’s development

KUCHING (Aug 5): Sarawakians must strive to preserve the prevailing racial harmony in the state so as to contribute towards further progress and prosperity of Sarawak, said Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.

The Deputy Premier and Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government said unity and racial harmony among the people serve as cornerstones for Sarawak’s rapid growth and positive outcomes across various aspects in recent years.

“Without the need to attend to racial issues, the state government will be able to focus more on formulating and implementing development plans and policies for the benefits of all Sarawakians.

“As the Chinese saying goes ‘Harmony in the family leads to prosperity in all undertakings’, for as long as there is racial harmony in Sarawak, we will be able to record success in all our endeavours,” he said when presenting government grants to 20 Chinese temples in the Batu Kawa constituency yesterday.

Dr Sim, who is Batu Kawa assemblyman, reminded Sarawakians of the need to steer clear of the unhealthy culture in Peninsular Malaysia, where disputes over several issues happen every now and then.

He pointed out that any issue in Peninsular Malaysia could ignite heated debates, expressing relief that Sarawak remained unaffected by such unhealthy practices.

“They can argue over any issue, from the previous stockings issue to the current argument on fundraising charity concerts for Chinese schools.

“When they are busy with all sorts of arguments, we in Sarawak continue to live in peace and harmony. This is the spirit of Sarawak that we all should uphold,” he added.

On behalf of the state government, Dr Sim expressed gratitude to the people of Sarawak for their commitment to social and racial harmony through mutual understanding and respect.

He said this unity enables the state government to focus on bringing about further development to Sarawak, rather than being distracted by unnecessary disputes.

“This is why we must all keep up this spirit instead of being divided by extremism and religious bigots.”

On the grants, Dr Sim said they are meant for the Chinese temples to carry out their respective activities in conjunction with the Hungry Ghost Festival, which falls on Aug 18 this year.

He pointed out that the Hungry Ghost Festival is one of the traditional festivals that have been observed and practised by the Chinese community across the globe.