SERDANG, July 14 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Rural Entrepreneurs’ Carnival (KUD) will be jointly held with the Felda Settlers’ Day next year, aiming to attract two million visitors.
Zahid, who is also the rural and regional development minister, said the event will be organised by his ministry, leveraging its experience from organising the ninth edition of KUD last year.
“God willing, next year, the Felda Settlers’ Day will receive support from KKDW.
“If KUD attracted 1.5 million visitors last year, then insyaAllah, the combined support of the first to fifth generations of Felda settlers can attract two million visitors to the Felda Settlers’ Day next year,” he said.
Zahid said this at the presentation ceremony for the Felda Settlement Excellence Award, Exemplary Mosque Award and Tokoh Imam Felda Award, in conjunction with the Felda Settlers’ Day 2024 here today.
The Felda Settlers’ Day 2024 celebration, held at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (Maeps) for three days from July 12, marks a significant expansion from its previous format as a one-day event. This year, it aims to attract 500,000 Felda settlers, the new generation of Felda and the general public.
KUD, an annual event under the KKDW, also serves as a platform for local entrepreneurs nationwide to showcase high-quality products and expand their businesses.
Zahid said apart from introducing technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as part of efforts to empower the education of Felda's younger generation, he also wants the group to master religious knowledge from an early age.
For that purpose, he proposed implementing a pre-Tahfiz programme in Felda kindergartens, similar to the one by the Community Development Department (Kemas), to provide early Quran education.
“I want to expand religious education for Felda's younger generation, ensuring early exposure to Quran memorisation,” he said.
“This is to ensure they appreciate Islamic values from an early age,” he said, emphasising his aspiration for Felda to nurture professional huffaz (Quran memorisers).
On November 9, Zahid had said that KKDW will introduce the pre-Tahfiz programme in 10,843 Kemas kindergartens to empower children with Quran education with an allocation of RM20 million.
Zahid said this initiative is part of Felda's transformation process, aligned with the goals of the Unity Government. He hopes to receive full cooperation from relevant agencies.
“The transformation we envision goes beyond what I have mentioned. We are committed to these efforts under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,” he said.
— Bernama
