Sibu goes all out for Sarawak Day 2026
- BT
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
SIBU, 23 July 2026: The Swan City of Sibu went all out yesterday with the state-level Sarawak Day celebrations, which saw a plethora of activities throughout the day, including a Unity Run in the morning, a townhall session with the Premier in the afternoon as well as the official launching and concert in the evening.
Held under the theme ‘Sarawak Maju Makmur, Segulai Sejalai’, the 2026 Sarawak Day not only celebrates how far Sarawak has come in the past 63 years, but the people who play a part in the state’s development and prosperity.
Early yesterday morning, over 10,000 joined in on the Unity Run at Dataran Tun Tuanku Bujang, including the Head of State, Tun Pehin Sri Dr. Haji Wan Junaidi bin Tuanku Jaafar and his wife, Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Hajjah Fauziah binti Mohd Sanusi. Later in the afternoon, the Sarawak Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Haji Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg as well as Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Corporate Affairs and UKAS), Datuk Abdullah bin Haji Saidol led a townhall session at the Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud Chancellor Hall at Universiti Teknologi Sarawak (UTS).
During the townhall session, the Premier spoke on a range of topics, from his favourite foods to Sarawak’s achievements in various fields, including education, oil & gas, high income status as well as technology. When it comes to sustaining Sarawak’s success, he had this to say: “When we emerge from the womb, we don’t come out walking. Our journey, from the crawling phase to adulthood, will have many challenges and winnings. However, at the end of the day, what will we bring to the grave when we die? The answer is absolutely nothing. Therefore, with everything we do in life, we must have clean and honest intentions as well as patience.”
Later that evening, Sibu’s Dataran Tun Tuanku Bujang lights up with the official launching ceremony of the state-level Sarawak Day celebrations, which was also graced by the Head of State and his wife, as well as the Premier of Sarawak, Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Amar Haji Fadillah bin Haji Yusof, Minister of Transport Sarawak and minister in charge of the celebrations, Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin, Deputy Premiers and most of Sarawak’s ministers and deputy ministers.
“Over the past 63 years, Sarawak has undergone many developmental phases, under the leadership of past leaders who had laid the strong foundation for the state’s success today. We will always remember the contributions of Sarawak’s first Chief Minister, Tan Sri Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan, followed by Dato Sri Tawi Sli, Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul Rahman Ya’kub, Tun Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud who introduced the ‘Politics of Development’ policy, as well as Pehin Sri Tan Sri Adenan Satem, who first declared July 22 as a public holiday in honour of Sarawak’s independence,” shared Dato Sri Lim Kin Shin in his opening address.
“I’ve always been adamant that Sarawak must be the ‘Bavaria of Malaysia’. Bavaria serves as the backbone of Germany’s economy with its high-tech industries, universities that churn out world-class talents, and an innovative ecosystem that is dynamic,” said the Premier in his launching speech. “We want Sarawak to have a sustainable economy, highly skilled people and a solid public and private institutions, so that Sarawak becomes Malaysia’s strength. Sarawak’s development is not aimed at seceding from Malaysia. On the contrary, we want to make a greater contribution to the country, as a developed Sarawak will make way for a Malaysia that is more competitive.”
The evening commenced with the raising of the Sarawak flag, performances from Sarawak-born artists Mawat, Claudia Geres, Firdaus Materang, Kelly Ho, Ricky Andrewson, Ericson, Dewi Liana Seriestha and Hafiz Suip, before concluding with a fireworks show to close out Sarawak Day.
