KUCHING, May 29 — Selangau Member of Parliament Baru Bian today warned the Dayaks residing in towns and elsewhere not to find ways to visit their families in their villages and longhouses for the Gawai Dayak celebration on June 1 and 2.
He said history has shown that those who broke the rules and travelled home during the past few celebrations had brought back the virus unwittingly and infected many as a consequence.
“So do not think that it will not happen to you as the Covid-19 virus has shown time and again that it does not spare any particular group of people,” he said in his Gawai message.
He added this year, as last year, there will be restrictions on travel within Sarawak, as the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) tries to control the spread of Covid-19.
He said now, with the discovery of the different variants in Sarawak, it is even more crucial that they exercise extreme caution and self-restraint for the sake of their families and friends, and indeed for the whole of Sarawak.
Baru, who is also Ba-Kelalan assemblyman, said in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is still reason to celebrate the festival because although the cases are still high and increasing, the situation is not as bad as in other countries in the world where even planting for food is limited.
“We have managed to plant and harvest our crops yet again. This realisation should imbue in us a sense of gratitude for what we have,” he said.
He, however, noted that the business sectors are facing extremely challenging times and many have lost confidence in the government to lead the country out of the health crisis which has wreaked immeasurable loss and suffering on so many people.
“I only pray for this pandemic to end and businesses can return to their normal activities,” he said.
