The tallest Tua Pek Kong deity statue in South East Asia at the 111-year-old Miri temple. – Photo by Philip Kiew
MIRI (May 24): The community here is unlike those in other parts of Sarawak or even the country as a whole, as they live together in peace and harmony in the spirit of unity.
This is how the chairman of Miri Chinese Charitable Trust Board and Chinese community chieftain Temenggong Yong Vui Seng succinctly sums up life among the people here, saying this is reflected in the presence of cemeteries of the different races and religions in Miri City.
“We don’t segregate people based on their clans. All Chinese clans are buried together side by side. There are also cemeteries of those of other races and religions.
“It goes to show that we respect people regardless of their background and whoever they are, there would eventually be a (burial) place for them,” he told The Borneo Post in an interview.
In Miri, there are three major burial grounds, including one which has existed over 111 years in Krokop.
“Strolling along the banks of Miri River you’ll see the majestic newly rebuilt columbarium under the care of Krokop Chinese Cemetery committee and just next to it is the Muslim cemetery at Sungai Baong.
Miri’s racial and religious harmony can be seen by the Muslim burial ground located next to an old Chinese cemetery in Krokop. – Photo by Philip Kiew
“Then, there is also a cemetery in Riam and Lambir (located between Taman Tunku and Lambir) situated harmoniously with another religious burial ground. Though our beliefs are different, much respect and effort have been put in to take care of it.
“Though we are of different races and religious backgrounds, we need a lot of hard work to achieve that peace, because if we don’t, it will easily crumble at the slightest act of extremism,” Yong added.
Miri had just celebrated Tua Pek Kong Temple’s 111th anniversary and deity’s birthday with a grand procession of 6,000 people from here and all corners of Sarawak, as well as from Sabah and Brunei, which Yong said was a celebration of not only the gods and deities, but of unity and peace that Miri has been enjoying the past century.
“Religiously, the Tua Pek Kong Temple, which is guarded by the Righteous God of Blessing and Virtue believed to have been protecting Miri, has enabled Miri to rapidly progress, develop and prosper. Today, Miri City has become an internationally renowned tourist city and a favourite place for foreigners to migrate to as their second home.
“So as Mirians, we are proud of it, and we truly believe that Tua Pek Kong Temple is a place not only for praying, but a place to visit, to enjoy its beauty.”
Meanwhile, Gurvir Singh Sandhu, treasurer of Gurdwara Sahib Miri, describes Miri as a melting pot of different races, cultures and religions.
“We are blessed to be able to live in such an environment where there is racial harmony, where there is love for one another. Though we all come from different religions, we have come to accept each other and bind ourselves together as one.
“Here, we celebrate our differences and this is what makes Miri special. We don’t ‘tolerate’ each other, but instead we love and respect each other. One can walk into any temple, church or mosque and we will always see welcoming faces,” he said.
Gurvir’s comment was echoed by Sukhcharan Singh who participated in the 111th Tua Pek Kong grand procession on May 5.
Sukhcharan mentioned that every first and 15th day of the month, he would pray at Tua Pek Kong Miri in his own way for blessings.
He personally knows up close the temple’s workers who have been very welcoming.
Sukhcharan (right) holds a flag for the Tua Pek Kong procession in Miri held earlier this month. – Photo by Philip Kiew
On Gurdwara Sahib temple’s rebuilding and expansion project, located a stone’s throw away, Gurvir said he is grateful for the full support from Sarawak government in assisting religious societies in their efforts to rebuild their places of worship.
“For our Sikh temple, we feel it to be more of a Miri community project rather than a Sikh community project because of the constant support given by the consultant, engineering and architect team, who have all been helping the Sikh temple with their professional services free of charge.
“In fact, we also have tremendous support from YB Datuk Sebastian Ting, Mayor Adam Yii and from numerous Ketua Kampungs and Pemanca who have visited our temple and offered their assistance.
“This is heart-warming, though the Sikh Community in Miri is small, but we have huge support from our local Mirians,” he added.
The rebuilding and expansion is expected to be ready by the end of this year.
This harmony is physically visible about 10km north of Miri City. Standing less than 100m apart, Masjid An Naim and Good Shepherd Anglican Church at Jalan Agama in Lutong are the benchmark of harmony and solidarity in the country.
The Masjid An-Naim and Anglican Good Shepherd Church located next to each other is a reflection of the good relationship between Muslims and Christians in Miri. – Photo by Philip Kiew
The uniqueness of a church and a mosque built next to each other in Lutong impressed 1Malaysia Foundation trustee Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye during one of his visits to the city several years ago.
On Fridays, the church will open its gate to allow Muslims to park their vehicles during prayer time while on Sundays the mosque will reciprocate by opening its gate for church-goers.
Likewise, on special occasions like Christmas and Hari Raya, the Muslims and Christians will come together for joint gatherings and the special bond developed between them has won praise in and outside the country.
Lee, who was in Sibu in 2018, said such mutual understanding also reflects the very special multiracial bond amongst people of all faiths in Sarawak, adding it is indeed amazing and worth emulating by others who want to put religious harmony into practice.
“As someone who has been advocating unity and inter-religious understanding, it really warms my heart to see the unity and harmonious atmosphere among the people of different faiths in Lutong, as it actually symbolises the unity that the people in Miri and Sarawak can be proud of,” he said.
Towards the southern part of the city In Taman Tunku, an Indian temple is located just across the road to the Hua Kwang Chinese Temple, and both management committees welcome the sharing of parking space during their respective major celebrations.
From Maulidur Rasul processions, Christmas parades and Tua Pek Kong’s birthday occasions, Mirians celebrate cultural and religious diversity in harmony, and this special relationship is carried even to their final resting place.
The Sri Kamini Durga Eswari Amman Temple opposite the Hua Kwang Temple in Taman Tunku, separated only by the access road. – Photo by Philip Kiew