Visit an eye-opener to Sabahan counterparts

KOTA SAMARAHAN: Understanding the indigenous customs of Sarawak is seen as a golden opportunity for Sabah, said Sabah Native Affairs Council (MHEANS) president Dr Bernedict Tapin.

He said that to enrich understanding of local culture, a meeting was held with the Council for Native Customs and Traditions Sarawak (MAIS).

The meeting, he asserted, aimed to showcase the indigenous customs of Sarawak, which are rarely known in Sabah.

“Sarawak has various unique customs that may not be widely known in Sabah.

“In addition to exploring indigenous customs that are seldom encountered in Sabah, this visit also provides us with an opportunity to examine in more detail the documentation of customs in Sarawak.

“Sarawak has extensive documentation on their customs and culture that can serve as a reference to enhance our knowledge in Sabah,” he said.

He told reporters this after conducting a Benchmarking Visit at the MAIS Building here today (Aug 8).

On the same note, he emphasised that this effort is not only aimed at understanding but also at adapting and leveraging the successes in documenting customs in Sarawak.

In this regard, Benedict acknowledged that Sabah lags behind Sarawak in terms of understanding and appreciating customs.

He also stressed that the establishment of a customs school is an initial step towards creating an institution for learning customs in Sabah.

“We are somewhat behind in Sabah in this regard. However, our meeting today with the founders of the customs school gives us an opportunity to take an important step.

“The establishment of this customs school is an initial step towards creating an institution for learning customs in Sabah.

“One of the collaborations we will undertake is to create an institution for learning customs. Customs are not only a cultural heritage but also play an important role in our legal and justice system,” he added.

As such, he expressed hope that this effort will open up more opportunities for future collaboration, advance the understanding of customs, and strengthen the local cultural identity in Sabah.

Also present during the visit were MAIS chief Datuk Ronnie Edward and MAIS secretary, Mackos Sibong.