Hajiji mingling with the public during the Duang Festival in Tuaran on Sunday (Feb 26).
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has identified seven priorities to be implemented for cultural development in the state, which starts from 2021 to 2030, said Datuk Seri Haji Noor.
The Chief Minister said these were the digitisation of cultural arts or eCulture, integrated cultural tourism, cultural preservation, strengthening of ethnic relations, cultural research and documentation, cultural arts development and intellectual property protection.
He said these priorities were in line with the state’s Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development’s initiative in the cultural development of various ethnicities in Sabah, which the Sabah Cultural Board has been tasked with to oversee.
"Through these seven priorities, we want all the cultural bodies and communities to develop together, to appreciate and further embody the cultural values that they inherited from previous generations so they can be handed down to future generations," he said.
Hajiji was speaking when officiating at the Duang Festival at Rumpun Kebudayaan Rumpun Bajausama at Kampung Lok Batik in the Tuaran district on Sunday (Feb 26).
Under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), he said, the government has approved four high-impact projects with an allocation of RM4,5mil, namely for the Cultural Mapping Project 2021-2025 and the Sabah State Cultural Development Plan 2020-2030.
Besides that, he said, the allocations were also meant to improve the Murut Sabah Cultural Centre in the interior Tenom district and the Penampang Sabah Cultural Centre.
"All these projects are in the process of implementation.
"The government also allocated RM9.5mil to the Sabah Cultural Board (LKNS) under the Sabah 2023 Budget to implement various programmes to conserve the state's wealth and ethnic cultural heritage.
"It includes the Cultural Pit-Stop which has been designed to empower the culture-based tourism industry with two new locations in Kota Belud and Tawau," Hajiji said.
The Chief Minister also called on all community leaders, state government departments and agencies as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and all levels of society in the state to continue to empower and preserve the arts, culture and customs the best they can.
On the Duang Festival, Hajiji, who is also the Sabah Rumpun Bajausama Association president, said the festival, held for the inaugural time, could be a platform to highlight the culture and traditions of Sabah's ethnic diversity to visitors and the younger generation.
The four-day festival began on Thursday (Feb 23), with various artistic and cultural events from the Bajausama community held.
"God willing, this festival will be organised every year in February and has been included in the tourism calendar. I believe this festival can elevate the name of the Tuaran district as an attractive tourist destination.
"In addition to the Rumpun Bajausama Sabah Cultural Centre, there are also many interesting places in Tuaran such as the Tembara River Cruise, Crocodile Park, Linangkit Cultural Village, Rumah Terbalik, Rumah Semut and many more in the Tamparuli and Kiulu areas," he said.
Towards this end, the Chief Minister said Sabahans were proud of the diverse communities in their state, adding there were 35 main ethnic groups and 217 sub-ethnicities in the state.
"All of them have their own culture and language," Hajiji said, adding he hoped that all ethnic associations will continue to develop their respective cultures to ensure that they do not disappear but instead be recognised internationally.
He said that the state treasured its wealth in culture, noting it was one of the income sources for Sabah’s economy through the tourism industry and the creative arts industry, among others.
"With the arrival of tourists increasing and Sabah recording a total of 1,012,119 visitors last year, this is a great opportunity for all ethnic associations to introduce the uniqueness of their respective cultural heritage," he said.
