Unity Week 2025: Up To 50 Pct Off Summons, Exhibition Featuring 24 Ethnic Groups
NIBONG TEBAL, July 13 (Bernama) -- The 2025 National Unity Week (SMP) celebration, set to take place over four days starting next Thursday at Batu Kawan Stadium here, promises a variety of exciting and interactive activities for visitors.
Penang National Unity and Integration Department director Rozai Zahar Nedi said among the main attractions will be traffic summons discounts of between 30 and 50 percent offered by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Penang Island City Council (MBPP).
He said this third edition, following previous ones in Kuching (2023) and Johor (2024), will feature the Rumah Kami exhibition, showcasing 24 ethnic groups from across the country, including the Siamese, Chetti, Kerinci, Melayu Brunei, Baba Nyonya, Kedayan and Bisaya.
'Visitors will be able to step inside these traditional houses and experience their culture, food, weddings and attire firsthand.
'There will also be live cooking demonstrations, giving visitors a chance to sample their unique cuisines throughout the four-day event,' he told Bernama in an exclusive interview at the Seberang Perai Selatan Unity Complex.
'It's more than just displaying the architecture of each ethnic group, we're filling these houses with traditional attire, cultural performances, dances and music specially curated for visitors,' he said.
Rozai Zahar said SMP 2025 will also feature exhibitions by 43 government departments and agencies, entrepreneur showcases under the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, displays and product sales by Progressive Rukun Tetangga Areas, a book fair, foodunites and food trucks, e-sports and traditional games, as well as performances by popular artists.
For security and defence enthusiasts, he said there will be a display of assets by the Malaysian Armed Forces, PDRM, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and Civil Defence Force.
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'These giants are incredibly attentive parents,' Zainal said. 'If the little ones can't eat, the whole herd moves, searching for more suitable feeding grounds. No questions asked. It's all or nothing with them.' This insight has revolutionised how BORA manages the grass at the elephant pasture. To ensure the entire herd gets to eat, young Napier grass is also made available so that the calves can eat too. OIL PALM With Sabah having the second-largest oil palm cultivation in Malaysia after Sarawak, how is the industry stepping up to help reduce human-elephant conflict? How does the state strike a balance between conserving the environment and boosting its palm oil industry? A crucial step taken in this direction is the implementation of the Jurisdictional Certification of Sustainable Palm Oil (JCSPO) and the establishment of the Jurisdictional Certification Steering Committee (JCSC) in 2016. 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'But we need more people to join in (the efforts), we need a lot more help to protect them (elephants),' he added.
