Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, LDP president Datuk Teo Chee Kang and other guests greeting for the camera at the open house.
A lion dance performance at the LDP Chinese New Year open house.
Musa (sixth right front row) and Sabah MCA leaders extending a Chinese New Year greeting at the Penampang MCA open house at KK High school in Kepayan.
God of fortune giving good fortune to the guests at the Penampang MCA open house.
KOTA KINABALU: The Chinese community in the city took opportunity of the festival break to be together with family and loved ones, in celebrating the Lunar New Year in moderate but lively scale.
Most hotels were fully booked on New Year’s eve and on the first day of the Year of the Horse.
The traffic situation in the state capital was congested in the two days leading to the Chinese New Year, which fell on January 31, due mainly to last minute shopping at the major shopping complexes and departmental stores.
Chinese New Year is celebrated by Chinese around the world at the turn of the Lunar calendar. In Sabah, most of festival celebrations are celebrated by everyone, including Chinese New Year.
Open houses would be organised and hosted by political parties and the state government to foster unity among the multi-racial community.
During the first day of Chinese New Year, Kuala Penyu United Pasokmomogun KadazanDusun Murut Organization (UPKO) hosted an open house for the party members and its supporters.
On the second day, Sabah MCA and PBS hosted open houses at KK High School and Airport View Hotel respectively for the city folks to celebrate the event with a variety of food and, not to be missed, the Mandarin oranges.
Yesterday, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) hosted its open house at Dewan Hakka with most of the state cabinet ministers present.
It was expected that open houses will continue to be held until the 15th day of the Lunar New Year with lion dance performances being held around the state capital.
At the PBS open house on Saturday, the party’s president, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan said the tradition of hosting open houses during festivals, such as Chinese New Year is a platform for the multi-racial community in Sabah to celebrate together despite their political views.
He said the continuity of the open house tradition showed the people of Sabah were united.
“There are always differences in our beliefs, political views and background but it was never an obstruction for us to be united. Open house is the most suitable activity during festival celebrations to keep the positive spirit alive,” he said.
PBS vice president Datuk Edward Yong Oui Fah said Chinese New Year is one of the best ways to foster unity among the multi-racial community, as it will allow other races to understand the beliefs of another.
He believes with dozens of races living in harmony in Sabah such celebration will allow them to understand more about the importance of unity.
Also present at the event were Head of State Tun Juhar Haji Mahiruddin and his wife Toh Puan Norlidah R.M. Jasni, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili, Minister of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, Mayor Datuk Abidin Madingkir and a number of cabinet ministers.
Pairin (third left), Musa (fourth left), Juhar (fifth left), Norlidah (fourth right) and others tossing the Yee Sang at the PBS Chinese New Year open house.