Juhar climbing up the stairs while visiting a Murut traditional house during the Malaysia Day celebration at the Prince Philip Park in Tanjung Aru. Starpix by NORMIMIE DIUN
KOTA KINABALU: Travellers arriving by sea to the city’s favourite seaside scenic spot of Tanjung Aru could easily assume that they had arrived at a traditional village due to five wooden structures dotting the area near the beach.
The five buildings each represent the traditional dwellings of the Sabah’s major ethnic communities - the Kadazandusun from the state’s interior, Bajau from the northern Kota Belud, Brunei Malay from Membakut and Papar, Murut from Tenom and Rungus from Kudat.
The traditional houses, built by craftsmen from the respective communities, were officially opened by the Yang DiPertua Negri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin on Sunday.
The traditional houses will be the centre piece for the 50th Malaysia Day festivities on Sept 16.
Visitors also had the opportunity to sample traditional delicacies at the houses, such as hinava or pickled fish, at the Kadazandusun house and deep fried panjaram pancake at the Bajau house.
Handicraft makers took the opportunity to sell their wares at the venue.
The buildings were built at the grounds of the Prince Philip Park - a recreational area at Tanjung Aru named to commemorate the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh to the Kota Kinabalu in the 1970’s.
Over the years, the park like much of the Tanjung Aru beach area fell into neglect. Government quarters built in the 1950s were demolished in the 1990s and soon became overgrown with weeds and bushes.
The five traditional houses represent a revival of Tanjung Aru as Prince Philip Park will serve as the venue of the Malaysia Day celebrations later.
The celebrations would mark the 50th anniversary when Sabah teamed up with Sarawak, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore to form the Malaysian federation on Sept 16, 1963.
The festivities would be launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who would also officiate the Tanjung Aru Eco Development Park which entails beautification of the area to re-live its past glory.
Among those scheduled to witness the event are Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman as well as other state leaders including Parliament Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia.
Meanwhile, in his message to mark the 50th Malaysia Day celebrations, Musa urged Sabahans to ignore attempts to tear them apart.
"We must accept that each individual is different, and that every ethnic group has their own traditions and customs, many of which are aged-old,” he said.
"We must embrace the strength that our cultural diversity offers to the nation. I am pleased that in Sabah, we remain a vibrant melting pot of cultures,” Musa added.
In a related development, thousands of people attended a prayer gathering for the nation organised by churches around Kota Kinabalu in conjunction with Malaysia Day at the Likas Sports Complex on Sunday evening.
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