RANAU: The Sabah government has chosen Ranau as the district to launch the festivities of the state's Kaamatan (harvest festival) on May 1.
Kaamatan is an annual traditional thanksgiving event that falls on May 30 and 31.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam, who is also the Kundasang assemblyman, said that instead of celebrating extravagantly, the committee decided to tone it down due to the people's burden in facing the high cost of living.
The festival launch will be held at the Ranau Community Hall, while other activities such as traditional sports will be held at the Ranau town field.
"Originally, the launch was supposed to be grand, and we were prepared to use the old airport runway.
"However, after discussions and based on the current situation where all prices of goods are increasing and people are complaining about the rising cost of living, we have taken a modest approach," he said in a statement.
Dr Joachim added that the executive committee, chaired by the Ranau district officer, had held weekly meetings in preparation for the festival launch.
He said all government agencies and ethnic associations, such as the Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA), United Sabah Dusun Association (USDA) and other associations in Ranau were directly involved.
"I invite the people of Sabah to witness the launch of the harvest festival, which will be officiated by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor."
Dr Joachim, who is also the local government and housing minister, said that the Rumah Mesra Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) housing programme for people in need would continue as long as the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government is in power.
He added that any contractor delaying the construction of Rumah Mesra SMJ would be blacklisted.
"The government does not want these houses to be completed late. There are contractors who delay them, so they will be the ones blacklisted.
"We will look into the causes of construction delays, whether it's due to weather or distant locations," he said.
