KUCHING: As the Dayak community prepares to celebrate the Gawai Dayak festival, Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg and wife, Puan Sri Datuk Amar Juma’ani Tun Tuanku Bujang, has extended warm wishes to all friends and fellow Sarawakians of Dayak descent who are celebrating Gawai across the state and beyond.
Abang Johari said that Gawai Dayak is a grand festival of the Dayak community that reflects the identity of the Dayak people in Sarawak, as envisioned by early Dayak leaders.
“I believe that Dayak leaders, such as the late Datuk Seri Tra Zehnder who fought for Gawai to be officially recognised by the government in the early 1960s, had a greater vision for the festival.
“They aspired for Gawai Dayak to serve as a platform for Dayak unity and to strengthen the cultural and economic status of the Dayak people in Sarawak,” he said in his statement issued today.
He sincerely hopes that everyone celebrating, wherever they may be, will feel a sense of comfort and joy in the company of their loved ones.
“Gawai Dayak should be a unifying moment for the Dayak community.
“Therefore, I sincerely hope that during this festive season, in the spirit of celebration, it can also be a platform for exchanging ideas.
“Such dialogue is vital in our shared effort to strengthen unity and the determination of the Dayak people toward more meaningful involvement in the state’s economic transformation process,” he said.
Abang Johari concluded with a festive greeting in Iban: “Selamat Hari Gawai, Gayu Guru, Gerai Nyamai, Lantang Senang Nguan Menua. Oha…”
