UP, UP AND AWAY: Teenagers trying to fly the sky lanterns during the festival.
BINTULU: The cultural festivities celebrated in Malaysia serve as the best platform to unite the people of various races, ethnics and backgrounds.
“The ‘1Malaysia Charity Tanglung Festival cum Food Fair 2011’ is a fine example of the understanding and acceptance of the non-Chinese community towards the Chinese traditional celebration,” said Senator Pau Chiong Ung.
Speaking at the festival’s closing ceremony last Monday evening; Pau said festivities were meant to foster better rapport among the people in a multi-cultural country like Malaysia.
He congratulated the ParkCity Everly Hotel for creating the new record in the Malaysia Book of Records for the longest mooncake measuring 710.32 metres.
The sales from the mooncake will be channelled to the charity bodies in Bintulu.
In other development, he said Bintulu will experience a greater development from Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) towards becoming an industrial city.
He added Bintulu must introduce more interesting activities and attractive places not only for the locals but also tourists and expatriates who worked in Bintulu.
Borneo International Kite Festival is one of many events that should be promoted and organised on a bigger scale so as to attract more tourists.
“I also believe Bintulu can be promoted as a traditional food city in the near future, apart from being known as an industrial town.
Various big festivals held should be used as a platform for the locals who set up food stalls to promote our very own traditional cuisines,” said Pau.
The festival was hosted by Federation of Registered Bintulu Chinese Association (Forca).
Also present at the function were Forca chairman Wong Aik Loung and ParkCity Everly Hotel general manager John Augustine.