‘I was waiting for the right time’, says Datuk Zainal Abidin on long-awaited RWMF debut

SANTUBONG (June 29): Malaysian music legend Datuk Zainal Abidin will take to the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) stage for the first time this year.

His deep love for humanity and the environment, which has been a central theme in his music, was key factor in his long-awaited decision to join this year’s edition of RWMF.

He revealed he had been waiting for the festival to make meaningful environmental strides before accepting their invitation.

“RWMF’s organisers have been calling me for the past 20 years, but I refused to join — I was waiting for the right time. For me to be here, I needed to see the development of the festival’s environmental impact over the past 20 years,” he shared in a press conference at the Sarawak Cultural Village here today.

Zainal mentioned his song ‘Hijau’, which focuses on environmental conservation.

“Hijau addresses the future of our children and the challenges they might face if we don’t take care of our environment. It asks whether future generations will be able to swim in clean rivers or find enough food, highlighting the importance of environmental awareness,” he elaborated.

He believed that through his music, he has reached nearly 99.9 per cent of Malaysians with the message of environmental conservation.

“While only about 35 per cent of the government and private sectors are actively working on environmental issues, this number is gradually increasing. I am happy to see that RWMF’s organisers are now genuinely focused on minimising environmental impact and improving sustainability, which is why I chose to be here,” he said.

Zainal stated his objective in performing at the festival is to deliver an important message about the humanitarian and environmental issues affecting him, his family and country.

“We need to talk about global warming and the many challenges happening in the world. It’s crucial to share our thoughts and ideas on how to protect the environment and prevent things from getting worse,” he stressed, further emphasising he uses his music as a vehicle to reach people and create awareness about the environment.

During the question-and-answer session, he suggested a future collaboration between RWMF and the Thai Music Festival.

“In the near future, we could potentially move the festival to Thailand and organised by the Thai government,” he proposed.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) chief executive officer Sharzede Salleh Askor, who was also at the press conference, expressed her thoughts on the proposed collaboration.

“It’s not just a matter of saying yes and doing it tomorrow — we at STB, along with the state, believe collaboration is the way forward. It would be very exciting if we could make this a reality,” she said.

She said significant collaborations like these require extensive and careful planning.