By Siti Rohaizah Zainal
SHAH ALAM, Oct 3 — A cultural festival showcasing the uniqueness of heritage arts and cuisine will be held across all nine districts in conjunction with Visit Selangor Year 2025.
State executive councillor for culture Datuk Borhan Aman Shah said the event will offer local and international tourists, as well as residents, a chance to appreciate the unique characteristics of each district in Selangor.
“Last month, the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) organised the Selangor@Batu Laut Festival. This event serves as an inspiration to organise our own festival, highlighting the unique cultures of each district.
“The festival will take place in every district across Selangor, featuring a variety of activities that highlight the culture and arts unique to each area.
“We will hold a meeting with the National Culture and Arts Department (JKKN) before presenting it to the State Economic Planning Unit (Upen),” he told Media Selangor.
Borhan said the state government, through its official media agency Media Selangor Sdn Bhd, will cooperate with TV Sarawak to promote Visit Selangor Year 2025, with a memorandum of understanding to be inked in December.
Previously, Tourism Selangor had said that the Visit Selangor Year 2025 is expected to draw eight million domestic and international tourists, with a target revenue of RM11.7 billion.
Meanwhile, Borhan said Selangor’s initiative to allocate special funds to elevate cempuling music is expected to further enhance efforts to promote this heritage art form to a higher level.
He expressed hope that cempuling music will continue to flourish with the establishment of more groups, ultimately becoming a defining identity and image for Selangor in the future.
“I welcome the announcement by Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari regarding a special allocation for cempuling music in the upcoming budget.
“Currently, there are only 15 cempuling groups in Selangor. I hope they will continue to grow, ensuring that this music remains vibrant and stays relevant over time,” he said.
Borhan added that the funds will also be allocated to educational institutions to nurture interest and develop students’ talents, thereby shaping them as future successors.
“There are schools that are active, but the funding is insufficient. Therefore, I have instructed district education offices to identify opportunities to cultivate cempuling music starting at the primary school level,” he said.
Previously, Amirudin announced that cempuling music will receive special funding under the 2025 Selangor State Budget to preserve and promote the art.
