TAIPING: The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, on Sunday (Feb 18), attended the state-level Chinese New Year celebration at Dataran Warisan Taiping.
His Royal Highness arrived at 2.30pm accompanied by Raja Permaisuri of Perak Tuanku Zara Salim.
The royal entourage also comprised Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Jaafar Raja Muda Musa; Raja Puan Besar of Perak, Raja Nazhatul Shima Sultan Idris Shah; Raja Di Hilir of Perak, Raja Iskandar Dzurkarnain Sultan Idris Shah; and Raja Puan Muda of Perak, Tunku Soraya Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah.
Also present were Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad and his wife, Datin Seri Aezer Zubin.
During the event, Sultan Nazrin and Tuanku Zara also tossed the "yee sang" as a symbolic gesture of the celebration.
About 5,000 guests were treated to various performances, including a lion dance, dragon dance, drum performance and fan dance.
Meanwhile, Saarani, in his speech, said society must avoid any action or words that can cause suspicion and prejudice.
"Avoid issues that can fan hatred and hostility, and let's jointly reject sentiments that can lead to division and dispute.
"Hopefully, thanks to the concern and continuous guidance from His Royal Highness, the entire personnel of the government administration will continue to work together, mobilise efforts to maintain stability and promote the state's progressive policies so that every mission, idea and target outlined under the Perak Sejahtera 2030 plan will be successful," he said.
Saarani added that although most economic indicators hint at a challenging year ahead, the state government is optimistic as it works together to strengthen the foundations of the state's economy to create space and opportunities for Perak to remain prosperous and resilient.
He said peace and stability can be created with the spirit of harmony and togetherness among the people and the cooperation between the state and Federal governments so that the people can continue to share sustenance, prosperity, and success.
"In conjunction with this joyful day, I urge everyone to strengthen our spirit of togetherness, our unity, our bonds of cooperation and nurture the mutual love so that we can maintain the peace and harmony that we have created," he said. – Bernama
