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Kota Kinabalu: Public and private sector employees in the State are encouraged to wear batik with local Sabah patterns every Thursday. 

Deputy Chief Minister I, Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey G Kitingan said the use of batik with Sabah motifs is a step towards maintaining tradition and promote local products.

“I invite all government officers and private sector workers to use local batik shirts as a way to expose local products to the outside community.

“There are various interesting motifs on our batik, including the Rafflesia flower, Pitcher plant, and so on, which we must maintain because they are our tradition.

“So, I encourage batik entrepreneurs and local traditional craft makers such as beads and weaving to be more creative in making and producing attractive and quality products to be showcased to outsiders,” he said at the Borneo Craft Festival (FKB) 2024 at 1Borneo Shopping Centre.

Jeffrey, who is also State Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry, suggested that entrepreneurs implement programes or training as a step to introduce their respective products.

“What we need to do is effective promotion and marketing, so I urge our craft entrepreneurs to participate in relevant programes and training as a channel to sell products besides increasing expertise in producing handicrafts.

“As we saw on stage earlier, our young have become models in showcasing traditional clothes, this is also a way of promoting handicrafts, we need to expand by giving them training, encouragement and most importantly support from various parties, including the government.”

At the event, Jeffrey also presented certificates of appreciation for FKB Strategic Partners to 11 departments and agencies involved in the success of FKB 2024.

Present were Malaysian Handicraft Director General, Datuk Ainu Sham Ramli and Deputy (Development), Abdul Halim Ali, Malaysian Handicraft Sabah Branch Director, Abdul Rahman Omar and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sabah Director, Ibrahim Othman.