Blooming beauties

DESPITE the wet weather, more than 70,000 visitors are expected to attend the annual Penang Floral Fest 2010 at the Botanic Gardens. The eight-day event, which was launched by the Yang di-Pertua Negri’s consort Toh Puan Majimor Shariff on Saturday, will end on Dec 19. The rain and gloomy skies did not deter engineer Ooi Pei Soo, 34, who was there bright and early for the opening. “I love flowers and made it a point to come for the opening,” she said.

In her opening speech, Majimor said the festival had always been a popular event. “People like coming to the Botanic Gardens for the festival because this place is more than a park — it’s an important resource centre where people can learn and ask questions,” she said. Federation of Malaya Orchid Society president Michael Ooi said the Penang Floral Fest was the best organised floral festival in the country. “There are more than 500 orchid exhibits from all over the country here — this is our strongest presence at the Penang Floral Fest yet,” he said.

In his speech, state Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Danny Law said the floral festival had to be postponed from May to December because of the Tourism Ministry’s gardens expansion and beautification project. “We would like to thank the Ministry for demolishing the controversial arches which were unsuitable for the gardens and for funding many interesting new attractions under the 9th Malaysia Plan. “Hopefully, the Ministry will continue to support us under the 10th Malaysia Plan,” he said, adding that the public would be able to enjoy the gardens’ new amenities by early next year.

He urged the public to ensure the cleanliness of the gardens as the green lung was one of the oldest in Southeast Asia. “We also want more non-governmental organisations to organise activities highlighting the richness of the gardens’ biodiversity,” he said. Speaking to reporters later, Law suggested engaging an animal trainer to train the monkeys at the gardens as a new attraction. “Perhaps we can get the monkeys to welcome visitors by shaking their hands — that could be a new attraction. “For example, in Thailand, the elephants are taught to greet and entertain people. Similarly, this is something we can look into,” he said.

During the opening ceremony, 25 school children from Ombak-Ombak Artstudio presented a showcase on the gardens’ short history and their importance as a green lung. The performance incorporated dance, boria, rap and chant as well as the gamelan and percussion. The 20-minute performance was the culmination of a month-long educational workshop to promote environmental awareness. The floral festival is open from 9am to 5pm.
-thestar online.