KUCHING: Some Peninsular Malaysians still think that Sarawakians live on trees and are not so educated as there is not much of an integration or stories being portrayed about Sarawak, said Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Hamzah.
“I don’t think there are major misconceptions (that Peninsular Malaysians have about Sarawakians),” he told New Straits Times during an interview recently.
Instead, he said, the problem probably stems from the fact that there is not much of an integration; partly to blame could be the government of the day.
The Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts also said the people in Sarawak are a very chilled community and able to live together peacefully despite the existence of 31 different ethnic groups in the state.
“This is mainly due to the tolerance among its people and a deep understanding of each other’s culture and heritage.
“Besides, it (actually) also goes back to how politics is being managed. Sometimes a lot of these problems are caused by politicians themselves,” he said.
Karim also said although the national religion is Islam; there has never been any legislation passed by the state assembly to officially declare a state religion for Sarawak.
He cited an example of a mosque in Miri where it is located next to a church, and it will open its gates for the Muslims to park their cars in the compound on Fridays.
Meanwhile, on Sundays, when the Christians are having mass, the mosque will open its gates for them to do likewise.
“This kind of tolerance and understanding is so common here in Sarawak,” he added.
Apart from that, he said it is common to see Malay and Chinese stalls running their businesses in a same coffee shop (kopitiam) as well as seeing Muslims and non-Muslims eating together in Sarawak, without feeling of uncertainty.
“That kind of trust is something which you don’t feel or see in Peninsular Malaysia. This is just a small example, but it illustrates perfectly how we understand each other,” he said.
