Deepavali may be declared public holiday in Sarawak

DEEPAVALI may soon be gazetted as a public holiday in the state, says Social Development and Urbanisation Minister Datuk Seri William Mawan Ikom.

He said it was just a matter of time before it was gazetted as all states in the peninsula and Sabah had declared the day as a public holiday.

“There are many inconveniences. Bank transactions, for instance, cannot be performed in Sarawak because it is a public holiday in the peninsula and Sabah,” he told reporters during a Deepavali open house organised by the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party at the RPR Batu Kawa community hall in Kuching yesterday.

The open house was to reinforce the 1Malaysia concept by sharing our hospitality with the Indian community here.

“It shows that racial harmony prevails in our country and Malaysians from all walks of life can live as one,” he added.