Kaamatan a good tourism attraction – MP

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Datuk Jumat Idris launching the Kaamatan celebration at Kampung Sumagid yesterday.

KOTA KINABALU: The Harvest Festival celebration or Kaamatan would be a good tourism product, said Sepanggar member of parliament Datuk Jumat Idris.

Jumat said during the launch of Telipok District’s Kaamatan Festival at the Kampung Sumagid Maruah hall here yesterday, that arrangement could be made a year before the festival to identify tourists who are interested to experience the local culture of Sabah, especially that of the Dusuns in Telipok.

“We could let them stay in our homes here in Kampung Sumagid for them to experience our food, culture, dance, music and so on. This way, the villagers could take the opportunity to sell their products to the tourists, to make money,” he added.

Jumat also stated in his opening speech that he sees a potential for the villages to make money by arranging the stay of tourists with tour agents, and urged the Kaamatan Festival Committee members of the village to start planning and arranging for the festival next year.

He also called on the youths in the village to initiate a tuition program in which post-graduate students from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) could be enlisted to give tuition to Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) students of the village on weekends.

“I have consulted with the vice chancellors of UMS and UiTM, and I have allocated a budget for the allowance of the tutors, and now I hope the youth committee in this village will proceed to initiate the arrangement immediately,” he added.

Also present at the event were Kampung Sumagid chief Kulin Adin and organizing chairperson of the event, Winnie Impang.

Activities held during the event yesterday included lucky draws, karaoke or Sugandoi competition, Unduk Ngadau contest, Kaamatan choir performances, cultural dance performed by youths and arm-wrestling competition.