Kota Kinabalu: Efforts to preserve Cantonese and other dialects must begin with the younger generation to ensure they are not lost over time, said Sze Yi Association West Coast, Sabah President Datuk Susan Wong Siew Guen.
She said dialects were an important part of cultural heritage and should be nurtured from an early age and passed down to future generations.
This prompted the Kar Yuen Cup 3: The Voice of Cantonese singing competition to introduce a children’s category this year to encourage young participants to embrace Cantonese songs.
“We hope not only to build the confidence of young children, but also to pass down our Cantonese culture and songs from one generation to the next,” she said.
The biennial competition is jointly organised by Sze Yi Association West Coast, Sabah, together with its Women’s Section and Youth Section. Also present were guest of honour and the association’s life honorary president Datin Seri Chen Si Mui, Susan’s mother, and organising chairperson Melissa Wong Kar Yuen.
Susan said the competition provided a platform for people of different ages and ethnic backgrounds to come together through music.
“The Kar Yuen Cup singing competition provides a wonderful platform for people of different ages and different ethnic backgrounds to come together, interact, and enjoy singing.
“As long as you are a Malaysian citizen and you love singing Cantonese songs, you are welcome to step onto this stage, sing, and express yourself through music,” she said. She was also heartened by the participation of two Bumiputera children in the competition.
“We also have young singers from Tawau and Sandakan in the competition, making this event even more diverse and meaningful,” she said.
The competition also introduced a new segment in which singers in the Open category were randomly paired through a draw of lots to perform duets.
Meanwhile, Susan commended her daughter Melissa’s leadership and sense of responsibility in organising the event, saying she had dedicated considerable time and effort to its preparations.
Melissa is also director of WSG Group and managing director of KK Drinks.
“She has inspired the people around her to contribute and work together as a team, which brought out the energy, determination, and leadership qualities of the younger generation,” Susan said.
The event also featured a cake-cutting ceremony to celebrate Chen’s 96th birthday in October.
In the Children’s category, eight-year-old Mikayla Ariqa won first place and RM500, followed by nine-year-old Quinn Lee in second place with RM400 and nine-year-old Pang Caryl in third place with RM300.
In the Open category, Riviann Chang won first place for the second consecutive time, taking home RM5,000. Ng Peng Lung and Natalie Reis were the first and second runners-up, receiving RM3,000 and RM2,000 respectively.
Lun Kong Yaw and Lee Yung Chen won the Best Group award for their duet, receiving RM3,000.
Also present were WSG Group Director Datuk Wong Ten An and Datuk Dr Roland Chia.