Unity, harmony and culture need to be preserved as valuable assets in Sabah: Musa Aman

TAMBUNAN: Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman wants the people in Sabah to defend the existing unity, harmony and understanding among the various ethnicities and religions to preserve the rich assets of the state.
Musa said the harmony and multi-racial culture reflects the uniqueness of Sabah to attract tourists, both local and foreign.
"If before there were only about one or two million tourists who came to Sabah, the numbers have now increased to 3.4 million. I believe tourist arrivals can increase to maybe five, six or 10 million in the future. We need to be proud of our assets.
"What is good about us in Sabah is that although we are from different ethnic groups, we can live together in peace, harmony and unity, respecting one another, being tolerant and helping one another like siblings in a large family," he said at the launch of the state level Pesta Kaamatan 2017, themed 'Kaamatan Asas Perpaduan' here today.
Sabah Yang Dipertua Negri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin launched the Pesta Kaamatan 2017 in the presence of Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz plus state and federal ministers.
Musa said Pesta Kaamatan was traditionally celebrated by the Kadazan, Dusun and Murut communities to thank a good harvest and served as a platform to strengthen unity among the people of Sabah.
During the launch, Mohamed Nazri presented a RM200,000 cheque to Pairin as an additional allocation to the Persatuan Kebudayaan Kadazan Dusun Sabah (KDCA) to ensure the success of the Pesta Kaamatan this year. — Bernama