KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 — Pesta Kaamatan which is a harvest celebration special to Sabah is being considered for a national-level holiday, state Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan said.
He was responding to a suggestion by Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and said the idea will be discussed by the state government when there is an opportunity, The Star reported today.
“However, Kaamatan is already recognised nationally,” Kitingan was quoted saying.
He noted that there were celebrations in peninsular Malaysia to mark the harvest festival traditionally observed by Sabah’s ethnic Kadazan Dusun tribe.
However, Kaamatan is currently a public holiday only in Sabah and not nationwide.
Shafie had earlier called for a two-day national holiday on May 30 and 31 to allow Malaysians to celebrate the festival in Sabah.
In Sabah, Kaamatan is a month-long celebration that ends on a grand note on the last two days.
