MERRY CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR: Entri (seated) with staff of RTM Miri after recording his Christmas and New Year Messages. His private secretary, William Changgat (fourth right) is flanked by Ramli (fourth left) and Dayang.
MIRI: The multi-racial society in Baram is urged to use the Christmas and new year celebrations as platforms to enhance cooperation and unity among them in all fields of endeavours.
Assistant Minister of Public Utilities Datuk Sylvester Entri said the long established tradition of celebrating with other communities, festivals and religious occasions like Christmas should be nurtured for continued racial as well as political harmony and unity.
“Racial and political harmony are equally important to ensure economic stability, and also to attract investors and visitors especially to our country, including to Baram.
The peace enjoyed today is the result of political stability in the state and nation in general,” he said to reporters at the recording of Christmas and New Year messages over RTM Miri yesterday.
Entri, also Marudi assemblyman, also called on the people in Marudi near here to continue supporting efforts by the government and other entities in bringing development to further improve their living standard.
“Next year being the Visit Malaysia Year, Marudi too has its share to ensure the success of the tourism programme for the year,” he said, adding that the Baram Regatta 2014 too needed to be organised successfully.
He suggested that more people in Baram, be they Orang Ulu, Iban, Chinese and Malay, to be innovative and enterprising like building boats for sale or rent because he said most of the participants coming from far away do not bring along their boats to compete.
At the same time, Entri suggested more people in Baram to cooperate with the government and local companies involved in agriculture or commercial farming through joint venture partnership like oil palm cultivation.
“Joint venture is one great ways to fully utilise the usage of native customary rights land, rather than making them idle and non-productive,” he stressed.
He was confident with accelerated development including the development of the agriculture sector, it will create spin-off effects like provision of amenities like electricity, water and roads and consequently increasing the people’s living standard.
He said currently in Marudi constituency alone such joint venture projects had been implemented successfully in Marudi, Ulu Teru , Selepin and Bok areas.