By Ida Nadirah Ibrahim
SHAH ALAM, May 9 — After postponing the state-level Wesak Day celebration for the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Selangor will be organising a two-day programme in conjunction with the festival this year, which also marks the 60th anniversary of Wesak Day declared a public holiday in Malaysia.
Special Committee for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Taoism (Limas) chairman Dato’ Teng Chang Khim said the celebration would be held on May 14 and 15 and packed with various activities and events.
Held at the Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat, the event is organised in collaboration with Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen and the Buddha’s Light International Association Malaysia (BLIA), supported by the Malaysia Buddhist Consultative Council (MBCC).
“We are expecting some 5,000 visitors to attend the event which is open to all. The temple grounds are spacious enough to accommodate the large crowd. A lot of the programmes will also be held outdoors in the open space.
“The launch will be held on May 14 at 10am, attended by the Menteri Besar, Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari, and several heads of the Buddhist religious associations, foreign leaders, state assemblymen and Selangor Members of Parliament.
“Previously, we would only hold a concert at night, but this time we have an eventful two-day programme,” said Teng during an online press conference on the state-level Selangor Wesak Day Festival today.
Teng said that a stringent standard operating procedure (SOP) will be in place, including guests conducting self-Covid-19 testing before arriving at the venue.
He said the public attending the festival are urged to comply with the SOPs in place, complete two doses of vaccine and are encouraged to wear face masks at all times on the temple grounds.
“We encourage the visitors to self-test at home. But if they forgot to do so, we will provide them with the tests before they enter the premise,” he said.
Teng said the chief abbess of Fo Guang Shan for Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India and Indonesia, Ven Jue Cheng, will lead the Buddhist ceremony.
Several key guests during the opening ceremony include Ambassadors of China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Malaysia, High Commissioners of Pakistan and Sri Lanka to Malaysia, and a total of 114 leaders of Buddhist religious associations from the state, national and international levels.
The Selangor Wesak Day Festival started since 2011.
