Practice makes perfect: Participants practising for the National Day celebration at Dataran Putrajaya here yesterday. — Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: The National Day celebration at Dataran Putrajaya on Aug 31 is set to be a colourful spectacle with the addition of more than 400 colourful Malaysian batik outfits to be worn by its guests.
Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation (Kraftangan Malaysia) corporate communications division director Isnaniyah Ismail said ministers, VIPs and the 2023 National Day celebration secretariat members will be wearing batik on the day.
“We have designed alternative Malaysian batik designs from clay, using the filtered silk technique, featuring hibiscus flowers and Malayan tiger stripes motifs for the ministers and honoured guests.
“As for secretariat members, we have prepared the same type of batik with clove, tanjung flower and Chinese cloud motifs,” she told Bernama.
Isnaniyah said preparation of the special batik designs, in collaboration with the Communications and Digital Ministry, is aimed at promoting Malaysian batik as the country’s symbol of heritage and identity.
She said the creations are from Kraftangan Malaysia’s in-house designers comprising four batik crafts entrepreneurs from Selangor and Perak.
Isnaniyah said Kraftangan Malaysia also holds This is Malaysian Batik roadshows at ministries, government departments and agencies, as well as institutions of higher learning.
The objective of the roadshows, she explained, was to encourage more people, especially civil servants, to wear Malaysian batik not just on Thursdays but on any other day and at official events, in line with the Public Service Department circular dated Aug 21, 2023.
“It is our hope that everyone will adopt the culture of Malaysian batik to show their patriotism towards our national heritage,” she said.
She added that all Kraftangan Malaysia’s branches have also been decorated with the Jalur Gemilang during the National Month.
“We are holding several National Day programmes such as the Perak Crafts Festival at Dataran Menara Condong, Teluk Intan in Perak from Aug 25 to Sept 3; Borneo Crafts Festival at 1 Borneo Mall in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Aug 24 to Sept 10); Merdeka Promotion at Johor Crafts Complex and Angsana Johor Baru in Johor (Aug 25 to Sept 3); and Merdeka Promotion at Aeon Mall in Melaka (Aug 29 to Sept 9).
“There are also discounts of up to 50% for crafts at the Kuala Lumpur Crafts Complex for the whole of the National Month.”
