TONGOD: The time has come to give the Kaamatan Festival a new lease of life with a vow to improve the yield of paddy in Sabah, according to Kuamut Assemblyman Datuk Masiung Banah.He believes the government should develop standards to rebrand the paddy industry each time the Kaamatan Festival is held. “Until there is unified action, we can only be proud to celebrate Kaamatan as an annual festival to round out the tourism calendar.
“Although Kaamatan is the foundation of the rice harvest festival, Sabah is still reliant on imported rice,” he said, while officiating the Tongod Zone Kaamatan Festival at the Mini Dewan Kg Talibu here.SPONSORED CONTENT VANZO X Marvel Series Car Vent Perfume: VANZO Car Perfume Brand Teams Up with Marvel for Disney's 100th Anniversary Celebration Kota Kinabalu: In honour of Disney's 100th anniversary, Marvel superheroes and VANZO have teamed up to launch a new "Superhero Scent" series of car perfume, “VANZO x Marvel Series Car Vent Perfume”. Read more Masiung said that in addition to emphasising the diversity of Sabah’s customs and culture, the government should look into what has happened to the paddy farming industry, which is the main focus of the Kaamatan Festival. According to Vice President of the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, the Kaamatan Festival has now been modernised where the ritual thanksgiving celebration of the paddy spirit is only performed on stage and is rarely utilised as a base in the paddy field.
He wants the people of Sabah to revert to the old practices of cooperating to grow and harvest rice since such effort may build an economy as well as foster a sense of oneness among the people.
“As a result of seasonal harvests, Sabah has only achieved 25 per cent self-sufficiency level in paddy cultivation.
“It should be noted that Sabah is currently completely reliant on imported rice from Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia,” he said. “What will happen to the people of Sabah if these countries suddenly stop supplying rice due to a global phenomenon?” he asked.
Masiung believes in the midst of celebrating Kaamatan, the government should consider revitalising the event in order to build a rice-based industry.
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