Sultan Abdullah personally checked on a performer who fell at the Sarawak Drum Festival, highlighting his people-orientated approach to the event.
KUCHING: The people-orientated personality of the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, shone through during the opening ceremony of the Festival Gendang Sarawak 2025 last night.
His Royal Highness graciously inspected the condition of a competition participant who had fallen after completing a performance.
The incident occurred during the final competition of the Gendang Melayu Sarawak in the group bermukun category at the Kuching Waterfront.
One of the masked dancers from the Kumpulan Cenderawasih from Miri fell immediately after performing on stage.
The event was halted for about two minutes to allow medical personnel to provide initial treatment.
Sultan Abdullah personally inspected the condition of the performer, showing his concern for participant safety and the smooth running of the event.
After the situation returned to normal, the competition continued with a group performance from Mukah.
The performance was met with thunderous applause from the audience.
Earlier, His Royal Highness and the Tengku Ampuan of Pahang, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, arrived at 8pm.
They were accompanied by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak, Tun Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Premier of Sarawak Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, and Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.
The 12th edition of the drum festival serves as a platform for synergy between the federal and state governments to promote culture-based tourism.
It ensures cultural tourism continues to thrive and is enjoyed by all levels of society.
The festival also supports the implementation of Visit Malaysia 2026.
Organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture through the National Department for Culture and Arts, in collaboration with the Sarawak government, the festival began on Oct 30.
It runs until tomorrow in conjunction with the Kuching Waterfront Festival and Sarawak Regatta 2025.
With the theme The Heritage Value of Traditional Rhythms, FGS 2025 showcases the traditional art of the Sarawak Malay Drums as the main feature.
It reflects the uniqueness of local heritage and the role of the arts community in preserving tradition.
JKKN director-general Mohd Amran Mohd Haris said MOTAC, through JKKN, had approved the allocation of government assistance under the 2025 Government Aid Grant Committee for eight cultural and arts associations in Sarawak.
The total allocation approved was RM1.2 million.
He added that MOTAC had taken the initiative under the MOTAC Tourism Recovery Plan by providing the 2025 Cultural Sector Support Grant to 15 associations in the state.
The total grant provided was RM710,000.
The GSSK MOTAC is a support grant provided to help cover part of the costs of organising programmes and activities related to arts, culture and heritage.
For this year, MOTAC has allocated RM50 million for the GSSK compared to RM30 million last year.
This is in line with the government’s initiative under Budget 2025 to revitalise arts and cultural activities in support of Visit Malaysia 2026.
Among the main highlights of FGS 2025 are the Local Wisdom Seminar: Survival of Sarawak Malay Drums, the Sarawak Malay Drum Competition, the FGS 2025 Kenyalang Talent Contest and the FGS 2025 Opening Ceremony. – Bernama
