Pak Zaidi’s De’Bayu dance troupe brings Sarawak culture to Miri Airport arrivals

MIRI (March 5): Traditional dancers trained by a Miri cultural custodian are now stationed at Miri Airport to welcome arriving passengers, combining the promotion of Sarawak’s cultural heritage with support for the welfare of the artists.

Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Arts Chiew Choon Man spearheaded the initiative after meeting local maestro Zaidi Husin, 57, better known as Pak Zaidi, whose extraordinary sacrifices and contributions inspired him.

Chiew said the initiative ensures that the first experience visitors and returning Sarawakians have upon landing is a living expression of Bumi Kenyalang’s heritage.

“Every time I land at Miri Airport, I used to feel a certain emptiness. Now our heritage greets every single person who arrives.

“That emptiness has been filled ― and it has been filled with something that is truly ours. So I took the initiative to revive Sarawak’s heritage and culture, starting at Miri Airport by hiring Pak Zaidi.

“Every time Miri residents and tourists set foot on Sarawak soil, they are greeted with our proud traditional dances, a symbol of our soul, history and identity that we uphold with love and pride,” he said.

Beyond its symbolic significance, the programme provides Pak Zaidi’s De’Bayu dance troupe with a stable monthly income — a rarity for traditional artists in the region.

Pak Zaidi gave up a stable corporate career to preserve Sarawak’s traditional dance forms, fearing they were being lost to younger generations.

“Our history and heritage are worth more than the ringgit. I have seen our own people forget how to move to the rhythms their grandparents danced to. That cannot be allowed to continue,” he stressed.

Pak Zaidi’s personal circumstances add another dimension to his sacrifice. He has cared for a physically and mentally disabled child, Ika, for nearly two decades after her father abandoned the family and her mother was unable to care for her.

In addition to the airport placement, Chiew, who is also the Miri MP, has committed RM350 per month from his personal funds to assist with Ika’s care costs.

“I have never encountered a man who has faced as many trials and made so many sacrifices in one lifetime.

“His service to Sarawak is priceless. It is time for this land to give something back to him,” Chiew added.

The airport initiative is part of a broader push to boost Miri tourism and position the city as a must-visit destination on Malaysia’s tourism map, a goal Chiew has promoted since receiving his renewed mandate in December last year.

“We are beginning with something small, but something true. When travellers touch down in Miri, the very first thing they experience should be the richness of who we are.

“That is how you build a city’s identity. That is how you make people remember you,” he added.

Local arts communities have welcomed the move as a long-overdue acknowledgement of traditional artists, who historically received scant institutional recognition or financial support despite sustaining Sarawak’s cultural identity.