West meets East. Golden Circle members from the Upper Central Archdeaconry Churches of St. Paul’s, St. James, St. Thomas and St. Peter’s led by St. Mary’s Golden Circle visited Kuching from 24th to 27th October 2014. This was a reciprocal visit for the fellowship arranged by Upper Central Golden Circles for members of the Kuching Anglican Senior Fellowship in July 2013. Tony Hughes reflects on the significance of relations between West and East Malaysians.

So far and yet so near. Though we are all members of the Province of South East Asia, contacts between East and West Malaysia are usually inhibited by the cost of travel between the Peninsula and Sarawak and Sabah. The moment we touched down at Kuching Airport we were greeted by a welcoming delegation of Kuching Anglican Senior Fellowship members led by Rev Patrick Chan. This was only the beginning. After checking into our hotel we were immediately invited to take tea at the Residence of Archbishop Bolly Lapok – who was unfortunately away in Singapore – and to visit the Cathedral of St. Thomas nearby as well as tour Kuching – and its famous cat statues – a great photo opportunity in itself.

The following day saw us deeply immersed in a whole day experience of Sarawak’s cultural heritage. We were able to visit in turn the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, home of protected orang utan, the Sarawak Pottery Factory and, finally, a fascinating cruise along the Sarawak River, to view the historic origins of Kuching, the former Brooke Palace, the godowns, the Law Courts and pre and post Independence administrative buildings. With extensive opportunities to visit the riverside pasar malam where many bought beautiful examples of Sarawakian handicrafts, a stimulating day was brought to a close by a wonderful fellowship dinner organized by St. Paul’s Church Siol Kandis. Praise & Worship was led by Rev Rodriguez and we were welcomed both by Rev Ronnie Woodward and Rev Patrick Chan. Sarawakian food was also accompanied by Sarawakian culture with a traditional Ngajat dance presentation by St. Paul’s youth. Again, wonderful photo opportunities for all!

Sunday saw us all attend the 8.30am Communion Service at St. Thomas Cathedral and then, after lunch, we spent the afternoon at the Sarawak Cultural Village to further imbibe the complexities of Sarawak’s racial and cultural heritage. The highlight of the evening was a traditional dinner hosted by June Anking and her family . June, a well known and loved member of St. Mary’s Kuala Lumpur before, arranged for her family and friends to lay on an impressive range of local dishes for our delectation.

In conclusion, all of us enjoyed some fascinating insights into the society of Sarawak, its diversity and the exceptional inter racial and religious harmony which exists in the state. Our guide, who was a Muslim lady, could not have been better informed about the many religious and cultural traditions which contribute to the very special state which is Sarawak and an example to us all in West Malaysia.

Above all, the warm friendship and fellowship we enjoyed with our Sarawakian friends was quite unique. As one member of the St. Mary’s group put it: “Surely this is the real Malaysia, moderate, multi cultural and memorable.”

West should meet East more often! Look out for this year’s trip to Sabah.