The virtual celebration is the best alternative for the Chinese community to celebrate the new year, says state exco

by ASILA JALIL / pic by MUHD AMIN NAHARUL

THE Selangor state government’s Chinese New Year (CNY) celebration this year will be held online due to the resurgence in Covid-19 infections in the country, replacing physical celebrations that were usually held previously.

Selangor state executive councillor (exco) for investment, industry and commerce, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) Datuk Teng Chang Khim (picture) said the virtual celebration, which will take place on Feb 12, 2021, is the best alternative for the Chinese community to celebrate the new year amid the new normal.

“We have had physical open houses, but this year we have prepared a special virtual programme as the Covid-19 pandemic does not allow us to hold huge ceremonies in the country,” he said in a virtual press briefing yesterday.

The special programme can be streamed via Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari’s Facebook page, as well as several other media organisations’ pages who have partnered Invest Selangor to showcase the hour-long programme.

It will begin at 9pm and consists of 12 performances, including lion dance, horse dance, puppet and opera show.

Teng said the total cost for the celebration stands at RM414,000.

In conjunction with the celebration, the state government also holds a competition for creative CNY wishes which will end on Thursday.

Three creative wishes will be selected on Feb 9 and the winners will each receive a cash prize of RM168.

“I am confident that the government will allow for a small gathering between family members at home to celebrate CNY, but I hope everyone will comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) even if a small gathering is allowed.

“We have to follow the SOPs to help curb the spread of Covid-19 infections. A lot of people are still not complying with the SOPs, which is reflected by the amount of fines issued daily to those who have breached the restrictions,” said Teng.

Meanwhile, SMEs and micro-businesses are now able to register on both Shopee and Lazada platforms for the Selangor E-Bazar CNY Campaign, which will end on March 7, 2021.

The programme — which aims to assist small businesses to embrace digitalisation during the pandemic — enables SMEs to enjoy discounts worth RM2 million allocated by the Selangor state government.

A total of 25,000 SMEs are expected to participate in the bazaar, including 12,500 new sellers.

SMEs previously generated RM1.39 billion in ripple effect to the economy through direct sales worth RM43.76 million from the total of RM3 million in vouchers channelled by the state government from two e-Bazar campaigns last year.