During the recent Chap Goh Mei festival in Kuching, Tourism, Arts, Culture Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman was delighted to see multi-racial and multi-religious city folk gathered at India Street to join in the festivity.
Addressing the crowd, he said, “Tonight’s celebration proves why Kuching is not called city of unity for nothing”, adding that it is everyone’s responsibility to maintain that title to show that the city really deserves it.
He was gratified that despite being people of many different and distinct racial or ethnic origins and religious beliefs, Sarawakians have always been living and working together in harmony and unity.
He called on Sarawakians to be proud of their respective identities as defined by their unique ethnicity, culture and their “Sarawakianness”, with Kuching the biggest melting pot and earning recognition as the country’s first “City of Unity”.
Perhaps it is now an opportune time to raise another notch by promoting Kuching as a “City of Peace” for all humanity. It can be part of Visit Sarawak campaign for this year and into the future. Instead of taking baby steps to develop tourism, re-engineering can produce a transformation.
Many countries around the world have major festivals that attract mammoth crowds, and the world’s top two carnivals are the Rio Carnival at Rio de Brazil, and Mardi Gras in New Orleans, United States.
While festivals and carnivals are annual affairs and visitors are mere spectators, Kuching can organise an iconic event that can be held throughout the year on a weekly basis and participated by both locals and visitors from around the globe.
It can organise a “March for Peace” every Saturday evening along a selected loop in the city, say from 6pm to 7pm weather permitting. If it rains, it can be delayed for up to an hour or postponed to 7am the next morning.
A selected shopping mall would be the ideal starting and ending point so that participants can gather and wait in comfort, assured of adequate refreshments and washroom facilities. If postponed to a Sunday morning, the chosen mall must cooperate and open from 6am.
The “March for Peace” will be led by a marching band and followed by foreign visitors. Those in their native costumes are to take up the front rows and their presence announced over loudspeakers placed along the route just before the procession reach selected spots.
For example, a senior citizens club in Japan may send a planeload of members for the peace march. Sarawakians will then get to watch about 200 Japanese in kimono marching along the streets of Kuching accompanied by a local marching band playing Japanese music.
Many incentive tour groups would be lured to Kuching as team spirit could be built during the city parade on top of the regular sales conventions. A few hundred members could easily qualify for the free trip organised by a multi-level marketing company to reward high achievers.
For example, one such company is Perfect (China) Co Ltd founded by Malaysian Tan Sri Koo Yuen Kim, who had sent thousands of qualifiers each year to Malaysia since 2011. In May 2017, Sabah hosted an incentive tour group from China’s Joymain Group numbering 3,500.
The peace march will have another marching band to lead Malaysians in native costumes and traditional dresses, followed by those in normal wear. Behind them, spectators may join in spontaneously or drop out anywhere along the route.
The last marching band will occupy the tail end. The entire procession will pass by many interesting spots and shops in the city, allowing those joining the march to return later for food, shopping or entertainment.
Businesses along the route should also play their part in welcoming these peace marchers as they pass through by shouting approvals, waving flags, putting up banners or playing loud instruments. At selected spots, stationary drummers will sound the drums while marching bands take a break and passed by silently.
The entire procession must be well coordinated and involve relevant government agencies, and keenly participated by local businesses and city folk. It is the best way to play hosts as visitors will feel truly welcomed.
It is easy to make claims and produce slogans but showing it with concrete and visible actions 52 times a year will certainly earn universal respect. It will not take long for sponsors to come forward and offer goodies to the participants.
Video producers should be invited and facilitated in capturing quality and interesting videos to be uploaded or shown in TV channels. Together with videos taken by tourists, the peace march will be well publicised, and Kuching promoted in the international arena.
Environmentally conscious tourists, particularly those from Europe, will feel good travelling in an electric bus in Kuching, as the vehicle does not pollute the city, not so much because it is free.
Likewise, peace lovers everywhere will make their way to Kuching and join an international community to demonstrate solidarity, celebrate diversity and promote peace and harmony for all humanity. It is the finest form of experiential tourism any destination can offer.
Moreover, marching for peace does not require any hard-selling as it is an innate desire of all human beings, with many eager to do their part by making a visible statement through action. Anyone who is sincere can join in and walk the talk.
Kuching should seize the opportunity and lead in “Marching for Peace” and be renowned internationally as a “City of Peace”. It would also energise city folk and bring more dynamism and meaning to their lives, apart from boosting the city’s image and economy.
To kick off, the peace march can start on the first Saturday for six months, followed by first and third Saturdays for the next six months. After a year, it would be popular enough to be held on weekly basis.
Naming the best group for each parade is enough to attract many to take part, and this includes school and college students, uniformed personnel, associations and guild members. They can be within Kuching, Sarawak, or from other states or countries.
The peace march is not limited to three marching bands as mentioned. Any number could join in, giving opportunity for local bands to practise or show off their prowess. These bands should also reach out and invite marching bands from around the world to perform in Kuching.
Not only that, many world leaders and celebrities would love to be portrayed as peace lovers and would come and join the “March for Peace”. It would be great to see the leaders of two conflicting nations walking side by side in Kuching after a peace talk.
With international publicity throughout the year, it would be no surprise the number of foreign tourists to Sarawak double within a short time. But more importantly, locals must be trained to be good hosts by offering and showing hospitality to visitors so that they have a great experience.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the New Sarawak Tribune.
