PAHANG SULTAN'S PEOPLE-ORIENTATED PERSONALITY SHINES AT FGS 2025, SHOWS CONCERN FOR FALLEN PARTICIPANT

KUCHING, Nov 1 (Bernama) -- 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 or Sarawak Drum Festival (FGS 2025) tonight when he 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 (Sarawak Malay Drums) in the group bermukun category, which was taking place at the Kuching Waterfront. The teams involved were Kumpulan Cenderawasih from Miri and Warisan Gemilang from Mukah.

One of the masked dancers from the Cenderawasih group fell immediately after performing on stage, causing the event to be halted for about two minutes to allow medical personnel to provide initial treatment.

Sultan Abdullah, who graced the event, also personally inspected the condition of the performer. thereby showing his concern for the safety of participants and the smooth running of the event.

After the situation returned to normal, the competition continued with a group performance from Mukah, which 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 8 pm, and 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, ensuring it continues to thrive and is enjoyed by all levels of society, while also supporting the implementation of Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026).

Organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) through the National Department for Culture and Arts (JKKN), in collaboration with the Sarawak government, the festival, which began on Oct 30, runs until tomorrow in conjunction with the Kuching Waterfront Festival -- 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, reflecting the uniqueness of local heritage and the role of the arts community in preserving tradition.

JKKN director-general Mohd Amran Mohd Haris, in his speech, said that MOTAC, through JKKN, had approved the allocation of government assistance under the 2025 Government Aid Grant Committee (JPBK) for eight cultural and arts associations in Sarawak, totalling RM1.2 million.

He said that, in addition, MOTAC had taken the initiative under the MOTAC Tourism Recovery Plan by providing the 2025 Cultural Sector Support Grant (GSSK) to 15 associations in the state, totalling 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, in line with the government’s initiative under Budget 2025 to revitalise arts and cultural activities in support of Visit Malaysia 2026,” he said.

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