Fatimah (standing, seventh right) and Adi on her left in a group photo with youths and villagers participating in the lukut boat race event.
MUKAH: Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah and husband Datu Dr Adi Badiozaman Tuah attended several Hari Raya Aidilfitri get-togethers organised by village security and development committees (JKKKs) in Dalat here on Sunday.
A press release yesterday stated that the couple first attended a gathering at Kampung Teh in Oya, Dalat – the town where Fatimah was born – which involved some 800 guests of all ages.
Fatimah (seated centre, second row from top) with Adi on her right in a photo with youths during one of her Hari Raya visits.
The uniqueness of the Kampung Teh Aidilfitri celebration was its main menu, which included the linut – a sticky paste made of fresh sago flour mixed with hot or boiling water – and other Melanau culinary specialties.
Invited guests and villagers feast on linut, sambal and ulam-ulaman during the Hari Raya celebration.
Linut is one of the traditional staple foods of the Melanau community in Sarawak and is enjoyed together with family and neighbours, who bring along sambal linut, ulam-ulaman (a collection of fresh and raw local vegetables) and roasted fish, for the event.
The event also witnessed the presentation of donations to chilldren, a gesture which brought them much cheer.
On the following day, Kampung Teh held the ‘lukut’ boat race, a festivity event distinctive to the village. The lukut boat – a traditional water sport once played by the young people when the river is shallow – has become increasingly popular among the village youths in recent years. The event was well participated by boat-racing enthusiats from Bintulu and Mukah.
Fatimah, who is Dalat assemblywoman, and her entourage continued their journey to an Aidilfitri gathering organised by Kampung Terus JKKK.
Despite only having a population of 354 people, the village was able to successfully organise the annual Dato Sri Hajah Fatimah Abdullah Futsal Cup for the fourth year running.
The Sarawak-open competition was participated by 32 men teams and 12 women teams from Kuching, Bintulu, Daro, Miri, Sibu, Sarikei and others.
Fatimah’s next stop was Kampung Brunei in Dalat, which is the only place that does not require a ‘passport’ to visit by crossing the Temenggung Mat Win bridge.
Fatimah (centre, holding a baby) in a group photo with children and villagers at the Aidilfitri get-together held at SK Kampung Teh in her hometown Dalat.
The gathering, organised by Kampung Brui JKKK and Masjid Nurul Sa’adah committee, was attended by some 300 invited guests and villagers at the Dewan Seri Brunei.
The celebration this year was held in the evening compared to previous years as the hall has been supplied with electricity using a minor rural project grant allocated under the Dalat state constituency as well as efforts from Sarawak Energy Berhad.
The ceremony also witnessed the presentation of education incentives to five students and welfare aid to 25 recipients from Kampung Brunei JKKK and the mosque committee.
The next day, Fatimah headed to Kampung Medong where various competitions were held and participated by people from all walks of life.
In the midst of the festivity, Fatimah did not forget those in grief as she and her entourage visited the home of the late Sadiah Yunus from Kampung Teh, and the late Zuras Gidi from Kampung Medlong Hulu, who both passed away recently.