KOTA KINABALU: The Kaamatan (harvest festival) in Sabah this year is expected to be celebrated on a grander scale after being held in a hybrid format the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

       Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan however assured that organisers at the main committee and district level would ensure all standard operating procedures (SOP) were adhered to avoid the spread of the virus during the month-long celebration in May.

       Jeffrey, who is chairman of the state-level Kaamatan main committee, said the Kaamatan celebration would be held physically in all districts as well as several Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA) branches in Peninsular Malaysia such as Johor, Melaka, Klang Valley and Putrajaya.

       “Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor will launch the state-level Kaamatan festival on May 1 in Keningau district at the Sabah Handicraft Centre.

       “With the launch, several competitive activities which were not able to be held before or only done in hybrid, can now be conducted physically such as Unduk Ngadau (beauty queen), sugandoi (singing contest), traditional sports, traditional cooking and gong performance.

       “The culmination of the festival will be at KDCA’s Hongkod Koisaan building in Penampang on May 30 and 31, slated to be officiated by Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin on the last day,” he said on Thursday (April 28).

       Due to safety issues, Kitingan said they would also control the crowd allowed to enter the Hongkod Koisaan building for events that are held indoors, while outdoor activities have more freedom in terms of attendance.