COMMENT | Of Gawai and tuak, alcohol and PAS

COMMENT | Today is June 1. It is Gawai Dayak in Sarawak and the Kaamatan festival is also celebrated in Sabah.

My greetings and felicitations to all my Dayak friends in my dear homeland and Kotobian Tadau Kaamatan to the Kadazandusun community in Sabah.

Gawai Dayak, a harvest festival celebrated with thanksgiving offerings for a bountiful year, is also considered a religious and social event.

And tuak, the popular rice wine, is a staple of Gawai Dayak, where every visitor to a host’s home is obliged to take a sip. It is a “must-have” of the Gawai celebration.

Tuak is basically made from a mixture of glutinous rice, sugar and yeast, which are fermented for a long period.

Womenfolk in the community take great pride in preparing tuak for Gawai. Yes, it is an alcoholic drink.

On May 27, after PAS information chief Kamaruzaman Mohamad (photo, below) called for a ban on alcohol sale in order to curb drink-driving, a reporter asked for my comments on the issue...