PKR to touchbase through Gawai dinners

Sarawak PKR is not resting on its laurels and is now moving to revive its campaign with the parliamentary polls in focus.

KUCHING: Barely a month after a gruelling campaign and hotly contested state election, Sarawak PKR is back on the road preparing for the parliamentary polls.

But this time they are kicking off their ‘campaign’ with celebrative dinners in conjunction with the Gawai Dayak (harvest) festival.

According to state chief Baru Bian, five Gawai celebration dinners will be held in major towns and cities in Sarawak.

“We are organising five gawai celebrations and dinners in major towns and cities. Through these Gawai dinners we try to get closer to the people especially the Dayaks whose support for us is vital for the coming parliamentary election,” said Bian, who is also the Ba’Kelalan assemblyman.

He said PKR’s de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and other leaders from West Malaysia are also expected to attend the dinners.

“We have had a few weeks of recuperating, after the state election. And we think it is time for us to kick-start again our struggle and campaign.

“As we all know that parliament election is coming, I think it is most appropriate to have this Gawai do.

“In the spirit of Gawai, we hope all Sarawakians have a cause to celebrate and at the same time we pray for the hope for the future of Sarawak and Malaysia as a whole,” he said.

Fundraising dinners

Meanwhile, Mengga Mikui, the organising chairman of PKR’s state-wide Gawai celebration committee said that the party has big plans for the Gawai.

Themed ‘beserakup kita menang’ (united we win), Mengga said that their first Gawai do will be held on June 11 in Kuching which will be followed by Bintulu on June 18.

The next Gawai do will be held in Miri on June 24 and Sibu on June 25.

Limbang will be the centre for ‘ngiling tikai’ (rolling of the mat) on July 2 which is to signify the end of Gawai.

In all these dinners, Mengga hoped to sell at least 100 tables per do and called upon members, supporters and the public to come forward and buy tables.

He said that the purpose of the Gawai do is to enable them to raise their spirit again and to boost the support of the various communities especially the Dayak community for PKR.

Gawai Dayak is celebrated every year on June 1 and it is one of the major festivals in the state when friends, relatives and tourists from far and near will visit their Dayak friends during the ‘open house’.

Gawai Dayak is the time for Dayaks to enjoy themselves after successful harvests and at the same time to pray for good fortunes and good health in the coming year.

It is time also for them to display their rich cultural heritage.