KANOWIT: Locals should use the annual Kanowit Festival as a platform to nurture, preserve and strengthen their unity.

Machan assemblyman Allan Siden Gramong said the stability and progress of Sarawak also depends on racial harmony and the unity of the people from different backgrounds.

“The theme of the festival ‘Where Memories Are Made’ stressed on the importance of unity, cooperation and harmony among the various races.

“This festival will be a good memory that we will appreciate one day,” he said when representing Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas to officiate at the closing of the two-week long festival on Sunday.

Allan said activities such as water sports, trade and exhibition as well as cultural and stage performances held throughout the festival provided opportunities to all regardless of race, age and gender.

He also said the power boat race had attracted participation from Brunei Darussalam and racers from throughout the state.

“The festival is an effort by the government to attract visitors to Kanowit besides boosting tourism in Sarawak,” he said.

Allan noted that people from Song and Kapit were able to join the festival with the new Kanowit bridge which was opened in May last year.

During the event, Allan announced that Uggah gave a RM50,000 allocation for next year’s festival.

Earlier, organising chairman Benjamin Angki Kaboy said the patron of Kanowit Festival Datuk Gramong Juna had agreed to give subsidies of RM1,000, RM1,500 and RM2,000 to ‘sakai’ (boat capacity) 10, 15 and 20 respectively to encourage more participation in the festival’s longboat race next year..

Longboat race was re-introduced this year. It was the main attraction of Kanowit Festival in the 1970s and 1980s.

Also present were former Machan assemblyman Datuk Gramong Juna and his wife Datin Catherine Gramong, a political secretary to the chief minister Petrus Igat, the wife of Kanowit MP Datin Rowenna Ping Bungan and Kanowit district officer Kathreen Eddie Saga.