Over 10,000 flock to Miri’s Taste of Borneo 3.0 on first day for night of culture, unity

MIRI (Oct 31): Over 10,000 visitors attended the first night of the Taste of Borneo (TOB) 3.0 cultural carnival at the parking lot of the Boulevard commercial centre here yesterday.

The programme started with a street parade which was participated by some 500 people, comprising members of 20 ethnic associations.

The parade was flagged-off by the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industries and Performing Arts Datuk Sebastian Ting.

The procession started from the carnival site towards the Sarawak Unity Bridge in Bulatan Park and back to the carnival site.

The main event for the night was an inter-secondary school cultural dance competition which was participated by 14 schools here.

Ting, in his address, said TOB showcased the uniqueness of race and ethnicity in Miri and this was also featured in the performances of the students involved in the inter-school dance competition.

“We have as many as 34 ethnic groups in Sarawak and we are grateful to be able to live in peace and harmony.

“This is a value that we want to instil and we hope it can be continuously practiced by our younger generation,” he said.

According to Ting, Sarawak is moving forward because of the strong spirit of unity among its people.

Meanwhile, the event organising chairman Harry Lee said it was the first time the Miri divisional level inter-secondary school cultural dance competition was being organised in the TOB carnival.

He said the organiser is hoping to hold more similar state and national level competitions in the future.

“We believe that, through this platform, students can gain a deeper understanding and respect for Sarawak’s diverse cultural heritage, while at the same time gain valuable social interaction and teamwork spirit,” he said.

Lee added that TOB this year is attempting two new records for the Malaysian Book of Records (MBOR) which would be the ‘Most Ethnic Dialects Greetings on the Unity Bridge’ and the ‘Most Ethnic Crafts Displayed in a Single Event’.

According to him, the Unity Bridge features greetings in a total of 71 dialects and displays about 400 ethnic craft items.

“The design of the Unity Bridge took us five months. It was inspired by traditional bamboo bridges that exist in most of the interior parts of the Borneo Island,” he said.

Lee said the organisers have also invited participants from Sabah this year as well as neighbouring Indonesia to participate in TOB 3.0.

Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg is expected to officiate at the launching of the Unity Bridge at Bulatan Park and TOB at Boulevard Commercial Center at 3pm and 7pm respectively, this Saturday.

Meanwhile, SMK Riam dance group emerged as the overall champion of the inter-school cultural dance competition held and took home the challenge trophy.

Also present at the function were Miri Mayor and Pujut assemblyman Adam Yii, chief event coordinator Datuk Hii King Chiong, and Sarawak Chinese Association president and TOB 3.0 joint chairman Ting Pang Soon.