Ramlee denies Lepa Fest not as exciting as previously
Published on: Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Semporna: Bugaya Assemblyman Datuk Ramlee Marhaban has denied claims the 24th Regatta Lepa Festival last week was not as exciting as it was previously. According to him, those who made such claims were envious of the success of the programme. "The organising of this year's Lepa Festival received a limited budget but the work carried out by the organisers, including the District Office contributed to its success. ADVERTISEMENT "As the organising chairman I was satisfied with the community's response to the festival. It is normal to see mistakes in its implementation but more important is that the festival achieved its objectives," he said. Elaborately crafted, the Lepa is the houseboat of the Sama-Bajau ethnic group and the Regatta Lepa is to pay homage to the houseboats. According to Ramlee, this year's festival stressed on the true uniqueness of the Lepa designs and thus, the festival had achieved the goal. Ramlee meanwhile said further improvements would be made to organise a much better regatta when asked by reporters about the low key event that once was an attraction for both locals and tourists to Semporna. ADVERTISEMENT He said works on next year's festival have already begun as the festival hits its Silver Jubilee celebrations next year. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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On another note, Ramlee also welcomed Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun's idea to build a floating restaurant based on the lepa designs.
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He believed this would generate a new form of tourist attraction in Sabah. - Efa Rizan