Folk mingle and make mooncakes

ARMY man Hariyazie Puteh has never been much of a pastry maker at home but when he got the chance to make mooncakes at the Mid-Autumn Festival, he was hooked.

The 37-year-old and his wife Rosliana Romli made mooncakes from scratch for the first time during a neighbourhood event in Taman Pelangi, Johor Baru.

The couple attended the event to mingle with neighbours and find out why the Chinese community celebrated the occasion.

“We have always heard about ‘kuih bulan’ (mooncakes) but we never understood its significance and why it was consumed during the festival,” he said, adding that after listening to the organiser explain the significance of mooncake, they joined the mooncake-making activity.

Rosliana said her husband enjoyed making mooncake so much that he waited in line to give it a second go.

“I found the event quite meaningful as it helped to narrow the gap in our society. Learning about each other’s cultures is an easy way to form stronger ties,” said the mother of two.

The event was organised by Deputy Local Government Development Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, who is also Johor Baru MP, and Stulang assemblyman Andrew Chen.

Akmal Nasrullah promised to continue holding similar cultural events in future to involve more people of various backgrounds.

Meanwhile, Chen said four parks in his constituency had been identified to be upgraded and proposals for projects had been submitted to Akmal Nasrusallah to seek funds.

The upgrades include constructing a covered basketball court so that the residents can be shielded from the sun and rain while conducting community programmes.

“The four parks are located in Taman Sri Tebrau’s Jalan Lembing, Taman Sentosa’s Jalan Kasa 6 and Jalan Kasa 10 as well as Taman Pelangi’s Jalan Biru Muda,” he said.

He said local neighbourhood committees or non-governmental organisations had adopted some parks to manage more effectively.