IPOH: There will be no fireworks display, no wastage and only existing facilities will be used.
Orang Kaya Bendahara Seri Maharaja General (Rtd) Tan Sri Mohd Zahidi Zainuddin said this was the message from Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah to the main committee created in conjunction with the Coronation Ceremony for the Sultan Perak XXXV.
“I wish to inform that one of the wishes of Sultan Nazrin is to avoid wastage and to use the facilities available currently, (so) we don’t put up new arches, we use the existing arches but we modify, then we put up the lights to add gaiety throughout the celebration.
“This indirectly reduces expenditure, I think the savings come up to 60 per cent (compared to the previous enthronement ceremony),” Mohd Zahidi, who is also chairman of the main committee, told Bernama recently.
Also present were Perak State Secretary, Datuk Seri Abdul Puhat Mat Nayan, who is also the joint chairman of the main committee, and the secretary of the Perak Dewan Negara, Datuk Ayop Hashim, who is also the secretary of the committee.
Mohd Zahidi said Sultan Nazrin decided on the austerity drive as he was most concerned about the current situation.
“It’s not that Sultan Nazrin or state government cannot afford to spend, but Sultan Nazrin asked to refrain from letting off the fireworks because they were considered as wastage and just like burning money.
“There are companies that have come forward to sponsor, but Sultan Nazrin is a Ruler who is most sensitive to public perception. That’s why one of the things that Sultan Nazrin really wants to ensure is to avoid wastage, save wherever possible by using the existing facilities,” he said.
Abdul Puhat said the committee encouraged the private sector and government to put up the existing lights and not new ones throughout the celebration.
“Even for the public feast or ‘jamuan rakyat’, Sultan Nazrin goes down on the ground to mingle with the people, and we have identified four areas for the public feast, that is on the field and square, we don’t hold it at the hotel and so on.
“We only have one sponsorship that is the ‘Enthronement Run’ (Larian Pertabalan), even this is being held at a minimum cost to pay for the t-shirt which is about RM15 each,” he said.
In this regard, he said the committee encouraged the banks and financial institutions to sponsor the cost of the ‘Enthronement Run’.
“We are targeting for the run to involve 10 districts, each district will have 1,000 to 3,000 people involved, so the total number of people involved will be about 10,000 to 30,000.
“That’s why we are not asking for much, the contributions are only for the attire not for entertainment or fireworks. We feel that under the present economic situation, it’s not proper to waste,” he said.
Abdul Puhat said although the state was taking austerity measures, the gaity of the celebration in conjunction with the enthronement was not expected to be reduced.
“For example we are targeting, firstly, the school children where we are holding an essay writing competition as well as oratory contest. They involve the lower secondary and upper secondary schools, and we expect almost 8,000 students to be involved.
“So when 8,000 are involved covering all the districts, and when the students are involved, their parents will also be involved, so the gaity is felt together, we also try to inculcate the spirit of nationhood, to understand the institution of the monarchy, constitution and so on through the titles given out in the essays and speeches,” he said.
He said although there would be no fireworks display, the committee was organising a Tattoo demonstration by the armed forces to reflect the warrior spirit on May 16 at the Perak Stadium, here involving cooperation between the police, military and other agencies.
In addition, the younger generation were encouraged to participate in the Enthronement Run on the same day where 3,000 people from the whole of Perak were expected to participate.
He added that the special prayer sessions at the mosques throughout the state would be held on May 3.
He said that for the non-Muslims, there would be no specific events held but they could be directly involved in the various programs organised in conjunction with the enthronement ceremony. – BERNAMA