Red lanterns get Labuan folk into festive spirit

A worker installing the lanterns around Labuan town centre. — Bernama

Hundreds of lanterns have been put up across Labuan town centre and the surrounding areas in conjunction with Chinese New Year.

Labuan Corporation acting chief executive officer Rithuan Ismail said the lanterns were strung up along Jalan Merdeka, Jalan Tun Mustapha and surrounding areas leading to the town centre to create a festive mood.

“We want the people to get into the festive mood, and we have been doing this during the festival over the last few years.

“But this year’s celebration might not be as joyful as before the Covid-19 pandemic, as people are still taking precautions,” he said.

He added that the lantern decorations around Labuan town served as a major attraction amid celebrations.

“The pandemic put a damper on Chinese New Year celebrations last year, but the festive spirit is quite high this year.

“The town’s shops and supermarkets are merrily decorated in red,” said Rithuan.

Shopowner, Chung Lee Hwa, 54, said, “Business is still slow because we are short of items from abroad and it is expensive to import them.

“People are spending lesser this time, (but) we are certainly happy to see shoppers,” he told Bernama.