MARUDI: The 2017 Baram Regatta to be held in Marudi for three days from 25th-27th August is promising to be more original or with the original taste like when it was first held about 100 years ago where there were events meant for competition by local boats only.
This is a departure from the previous and last few Baram regattas where all the events were open to any teams, including those from outside Baram thus making Baram Regatta losing its original flavour.
This was revealed during the Technical Committee Meeting headed by Telang Usan Assemblyman Dennis Ngau.
“We have decided to have races open solely for Baram people called Baram closed. And to safeguard the interest and participation by teams from outside Baram it was decided to have Baram open race, where participants are expected to come from outside Baram including Brunei,” he added.
According to Dennis, this decision was made after getting feedback from the locals after the 2014 Regatta.
“Both sections will offer the same number of races throughout the 3-day fun filled regatta. Therefore I urge community leaders and village chiefs in Baram to promote and encourage participations from their charges or longhouses,” he said, adding that Baram closed races are aimed to rekindle back Baram regatta’s original purpose that is to promote friendly competition among Baram people.
He also informed that a mixed team race for men and women will also be featured this year.
“We hope that more longhouses from Baram will send their teams this year where equal chances of winning are wide open,” Dennis said.
Previous regattas showed local traditional Baram boats finding it hard to compete against nontraditional boats thus making the locals increasingly losing interests to compete.
Also present at the meeting were a political secretary to the Chief Minister Charles Balan Seling who is also the deputy chairman of technical committee, another political secretary to the Chier Minister Alexander Asing and Marudi District Officer Markos Sibong.
