Sarawak Customs Council near the Bidayuh community on the peninsula

KUALA LUMPUR, 12 Sept: The Sarawak Customs Authority (MAIS) continues to reach out to the Bidayuh community in Peninsular Malaysia to strengthen ties and ensure that their customs, identity and cultural heritage are preserved.

MAIS Chief, Former Dr Neilson Ilan Mersat, said the effort was implemented through the 1994 Bidayuh Traditional Marking Program with the Bidayuh Community in Peninsular Malaysia which is taking place here today.

He said the programme involved 50 participants from Bidayuh community who settled in Peninsular Malaysia and was among MAIS initiatives to reach out to Bidayuh community outside Sarawak.

"The existence of the Bidayuh community in Peninsular Malaysia reflects how the community continues to maintain ties with its origins, identity and cultural heritage despite being far from Sarawak", he said.

According to him, the program also aims to introduce and strengthen the understanding of the Bidayuh community on the Peninsula towards the 1994 Bidayuh Customs, as well as gain insights, experience and feedback regarding traditional practices in the context of life of the Bidayuh community outside Sarawak.

Neilson said the programme of approaching such communities will be continued MAIS so that Sarawak ethnic communities abroad are kept up to date with current knowledge and developments related to efforts to codify and revise native cultures in Sarawak, especially the Bidayuh community.

"With this, native customs will continue to be practiced and remain relevant in modern times", he said.