Wednesday August 23, 2006
Kuching to host National Day joy despite haze
By SIM LEOI LEOI
PUTRAJAYA: The show will go on. There is no plan to change the venue for the 49th National Day grand parade and celebrations, which Kuching will host.
“There is currently no plan to move the national celebrations elsewhere,” said Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, who is the National Day celebrations organising chairman.
There had been concern that the National Day celebrations in the Sarawak capital would not go on as scheduled due to severe haze in the state as a result of open burning in Kalimantan and Sumatra, Indonesia.
Haze plagued many parts of the federal administration centre here yesterday, prompting Dr Rais to say that he is praying the Air Pollutant Index (API) in Sarawak would not be worse than in Putrajaya.
Asked if there was a Plan B in case of worsening haze in Kuching, he said there was none. He said that if the air quality in Sarawak remained constant at the API level of between 110 and 120, which was the reading for Monday, the full parade would go on.
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PROMOTING PATRIOTISM: Dancers from Istana Budaya waving the Jalur Gemilang at the launch of the Fly the Jalur Gemilang campaign in Putrajaya yesterday. |
“If we carry out cloud-seeding to induce rain, I think the situation will improve,” he told reporters after launching a ministry Fly the Jalur Gemilang campaign here yesterday.
“However, I will be going to Kuching on Friday to assess for myself the air quality. I will then inform the Cabinet on the weather trends.
“But at the moment the show will go on, and the Prime Minister is satisfied that there won’t be any problem.”
Dr Rais said his committee had also started planning for the 50th National Day celebrations next year, which, he said, would be on a grander scale.
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