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Cultural festival may be held in Sibu after two-year gap

Posted on 06 Jan 2022
Source of News: The Star

THE Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) may make a comeback this year after being shelved since 2019 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting, in his New Year message, said they hoped to stage the BCF this year along with several other annual activities on their event calendar if the pandemic situation improved.

BCF is a week-long celebration of food, music and dance showcasing the diverse cultural backgrounds of Sibu community, such as Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu, Malay, Melanau and Chinese.

“I hope the pandemic will finally be under control this year even though the Omicron variant of Covid-19 is spreading worldwide.

“We have plans to upgrade several markets, including Rejang Park Market, Jaya Li Hua Market, Sungai Merah Market and the Central Market, while the temporary Tiong Hua wet market will open soon,” he said.

Ting said the council could not do much last year because of movement restrictions.

“SMC in July started road expansion works at Jalan Igan, Jalan Wong King Huo at Aman roundabout and Lorong Aman 7, as well as the resurfacing of Jalan Pahlawan.

“The council also started work on Muhibbah Hawker Centre and the temporary Tiong Hua wet market,” he said.

Ting said SMC faced many challenges, as many of its services were affected because of the pandemic.

He added that although many people were financially affected by the various movement control orders, the council still collected up to 93% of its targeted assessment fees last year.