KOTA KINABALU: The state may consider a proposal by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal to make the annual Kaamatan Festival a national event with a nationwide public holiday. "However, the Kaamatan or harvest festival celebrated in Sabah is already recognised nationally," he said during a press conference Friday on the line-up of events and Kaamatan launching throughout May. Pairin said the peak of the festival on May 30 and 31, has already been declared a public holiday in Sabah. This in a way shows that Kaamatan is already considered a national event," said Pairin, who is also the 2017 state-level Kaamatan festival central committee chairman. Last week, Shafie suggested that the Kaamatan festival be declared a national public holiday.

Source: The Star April 28, 2017 05:39 UTC