By Siti Rohaizah Zainal
SHAH ALAM, Jan 12 — The Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation (Sidec) is organising a Balik Kampung Cultural Festival for four days beginning on February 1, in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebrations.
The event, which will be held at Pavilion Bukit Jalil from 10am to 10pm, also aims to help promote small businesses from Chinese new villages statewide.
Sidec chief executive officer Yong Kai Ping said the festival, which is part of the Selangor Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneur Development (Baik) initiative, has also received the backing and cooperation of state executive councillors Dato’ Ng Suee Lim and Ng Sze Han.
“More than 100 small and medium enterprises from new villages will participate in the programme to introduce and promote their respective products to the masses.
“This festival will serve as a platform for these entrepreneurs to share the uniqueness of their arts and the natural beauty of their villages.
“This will subsequently help develop their respective manufacturing sectors and empower the local economy,” he said when contacted.
Yong is projecting some 100,000 visitors will attend the four-day festival.
They will have the opportunity to try out various delicacies, purchase high-quality local products, discover interesting tourist destinations in Selangor, and witness some of the best cultural performances in the state.
The Selangor Baik programme was first introduced in August 2021 to help commercialise products manufactured by residents of new villages.
Participants of the initiative are also given training on how to better market their products.
Under the programme, RM4 million was also allocated by the state government last year to upgrade facilities in the new villages for the comfort of residents, up from RM3.6 million in 2022.
