Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor speaks during an interview with Bernama at his office in Kota Kinabalu ahead of Malaysia Day celebrations September 15, 2021. — Bernama pic
KENINGAU, May 1 — The Kaamatan Festival which is celebrated annually should serve as the best platform to foster unity among the people of different backgrounds especially the younger generation in the state, said Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
He said it is only through unity and cooperation that the people of Sabah could develop the state and not be divided by racial, religious and cultural differences.
“Unity and cooperation are very important and should not be dismissed as something trivial. In Sabah, the people of different races, religions and beliefs have coexisted in harmony for generations.
“Interracial marriages have seen families of different races and beliefs becoming one big family, and we have been able to accept and respect one another. Therefore, the Kaamatan Festival should be used as a platform to foster unity among us,” he said here today.
He said this in his speech during the launch of state-level Kaamatan Festival 2022. Also present at the event were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs), Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili and Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan, who is also the chairman of the Kamaatan Festival main committee.
Hajiji also called on the people of Sabah to work together with the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS)- and Barisan Nasional (BN)-led state government in order to develop Sabah with various programmes that have been drawn up especially the five-year Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development plan.
“With the spirit of Kaamatan, we can together increase the production of padi and other agricultural products. The state government has allocated RM561.81 million for agriculture, which is a productive sector in providing food for the people, employment, and businesses as well as the supply of raw materials for the manufacturing sector,” he said.
Hajiji also said all efforts have been taken to ensure Sabah will double its current food production by 2030.
He added that the Sabah’s first Agriculture Production Collection Centre will open next month to cater to the demand for 50 million tonnes of high-value agriculture produce such as vegetables, fruits and fresh flowers. — Bernama