"This (the party) needs to be preserved. Building a village must not be separated from the roots of local culture and wisdom," Ministry's Director General of Village and Rural Development Sugito stated while attending the murok jerami traditional party and the inauguration of the Namang independent village here on Monday.
Murok jerami is a generational tradition wherein Namang villagers gather to eat in their rice fields as a form of gratitude for the rice harvests.
Namang is a village that produces white and brown rice, with a planting area spanning 53 hectares.
"This food security program in Namang Village can be an example and inspiration for other villages, especially on how the village manages it by building networks and involving the community," he affirmed.
According to Sugito, building a village cannot be separated from the values of local wisdom and upholding the customs, traditions, and culture that exist in each village.
He said that local wisdom is a driving force in village development that should be preserved.
"Not only preserving in terms of culture but can also be in the form of tourism that can bring prosperity to the villagers," he stressed.
Building villages is about exploring all the potential that exists to improve welfare that eventually leads to independent villages, he affirmed.
"As much as 75 percent of national development starts from villages, (and) that is why the president campaigns for building the country (that) should start from the village (level)," he stated.
Central Bangka District Head Algafry Rahman urged related offices to make the murok jerami traditional party more attractive.
"Murok jerami is a local culture and wisdom that has become a tradition for generations. In the past, this activity was a tradition of the Mengkanau Tribe," he stated.
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Translator: Ahmadi, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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