KUCHING: Newly-launched Gerai Ria at Wisma Melanau is expected to promote and boost traditional Melanau food and heritage
Tanjung Manis MP Yusuf Abdul Wahab, said that this project by the Kuching Melanau Association is expected to open opportunities for the Melanau people, especially the younger generation around Kuching to be involved in business.
“Kuching Melanau Association has worked tremendously hard to help promote traditional Melanau food such as tebaloi, tetebeh, tumpik, linut, pipus and many more.
“This proactive initiative is very good to ensure traditional Melanau food can be recognised by other races in Malaysia,” he said before officiating at the Gerai Ria opening here, yesterday (March 3).
Yusuf also believes that the opening of Gerai Ria will have a positive impact considering its strategic location.
“Wisma Melanau is quite strategic to carry out activities like this because it is surrounded by educational, medical and public service institutions and is also close to several buildings which belong to the Bidayuh and Iban communities,” he said.
Yusuf congratulated the association’s exco and members for working together to raise awareness even though the community came from different districts.
It is understood that Gerai Ria will be open throughout the month of Ramadan and open every Saturday thereafter from 9 am to 5 pm.
Earlier, in the same event Yusuf witnessed a symbolic handover of school incentives from the association to 37 preschool up to primary six students.
He hoped the incentive would ease the burden on parents, especially for the beginning of the school term this year.
