TAWAU: Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan said the Malindo Cultural Festival is in line with the State Government’s aim to promote and enhance our appreciation for Sabah’s diverse cultural heritage.
He said the festival also complements Tawau’s own annual International Cultural Festival (FKAT), positioning the district as a centre for cultural diversity.
Nizam emphasised that the close ties between Malaysia and Indonesia are particularly visible in border areas such as Tawau, which shares land boundaries with Kalimantan, where the people are of similar ethnic roots, sentiments and traditions.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});“We hope such programmes can be held annually with the support of all parties, including government agencies, the private sector and non-governmental organisations,” he said.
Indonesian Consul-General in Tawau Aris Heru Utomo said the festival as a unifying cultural event that strengthens bonds between communities in Sabah and Kalimantan.
“Through such activities, we hope to deepen understanding of the cultural exchanges between Malaysia and Indonesia, while overshadowing the more elite-level political issues at government level.
“We also hope the programme will continue and perhaps in future be held in other parts of Indonesia, such as North Kalimantan, not only in Tawau through the Sosek–Malindo initiative,” he said.
Aris praised the festival for being community-driven, saying it was proof of the public’s awareness of the importance of strengthening cross-border relations.
The inaugural Malindo Cultural Festival was jointly organised by the Sabah Muslimah Tijarah Association (Permata Tijarah), Dharma Wanita Persatuan of the Indonesian Consulate-General in Tawau and the Tawau Malay National Association (PKMT).
