PENAMPANG – The return of Sabah’s Pesta Kaamatan, or Harvest Festival, after a two-year absence may hit a few bumps due to a burst in its RM1.5 million budget.
The state government, which had intended to hold this year's festivities virtually, had to take a step back due to cost overruns and technical issues.
The organiser also ran the risk of a lower number of participants for Kaamatan’s main event – the Unduk Ngadau beauty pageant.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister II and the festival's central organising chairman Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan said that the budget had doubled past the RM1.5 million minimum budget.
“The Kaamatan budget has not been finalised yet, but from what has been submitted, the cost has been more than what we have.
“We have a maximum RM1.5 million budget, but from what I have received, it has far exceeded the number and this is expected.
“The budget will be much more, maybe twice more than the normal budget,” he said during a blood donation drive at the Hongkod Koisaan building.
Jeffrey said the cost includes sprucing up the Hongkod Koisaan, or Kadazandusun Cultural Hall (KDCA).
The concept of “borderless Kaamatan” that relies on a live online broadcast, called for the hall to be transformed into a broadcasting centre, with links to 25 districts.
“For this, we had to get some equipment or rent them,” he said.
Jeffrey also said that the low number of women registering for the popular Unduk Ngadau beauty pageant is due to the absence of district coordinators and thus, registration for the competition has been extended to April 10.
“We only just named all the coordinators; they are new.
“They can register at the district level via a new system that we are using to conduct the beauty contest.
“So, it will take time for the coordinators to get used to the new system.
“I am sure there are many aspiring participants who don't know how to register, but now that this issue has been ironed out, the number of participants is increasing,” he said.
Pesta Kaamatan is a harvest festival held annually in Sabah, and will run from May 1 till May 31, with the Unduk Ngadau grand finals held on the last day. – The Vibes, March 31, 2021
