Visitor lauds efforts to improve cemetery’s condition
KUCHING: A well-kept cemetery is important to help Kuching maintain its status as a clean and green city which its folks are all so proud of.
In making this observation, Song Swee Kee, who is a frequent visitor to the cemetery at Mile 7 which is unofficially known as Sacred Heart Church Cemetery, also said a resting place with good landscaping, a proper upkeep schedule and the provision of suitable bins for storing garbage to maintain tidiness will surely give the cemetery an improved atmosphere besides giving the buried the dignity they rightfully deserved.
“An enhanced beautification programme will also make the burial ground a friendly place for young and old descendants to visit and pay respect to their deceased elders,” Song said in a statement to The Borneo Post yesterday.
He noted that the cemetery is located on the land running adjacent to the Kuching-Penrissen Road which many buses play daily, bringing tourists to Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, Annah Rais Longhouse, Borneo Highlands Resort and Aiman Batang Ai Resort.
Song said most tourists are known to have a sharp eye for details and niceties, and any unkempt condition of this major burial ground is unlikely to escape their attention. He added that an untidy cemetery entrance will not reflect well on the management committee and the cemetery owner as well as the local council which has jurisdiction over the area.
He believed that earlier reports appearing in The Borneo Post, including the suggestions made by another frequent visitor Dr Timothy Hatch, over the lack of attention given to the maintenance of the burial ground would appear to have prompted the cemetery management to speedily arrange to have a large pile of rubbish cleared from the site, improving the general appearance of the cemetery.
“Perhaps the cemetery committee has already in mind to: put up a suitable sign for the cemetery; install a metal fence around the cemetery boundary; carry out a landscaping exercise to improve the look and condition of the cemetery; and invite reliable contractors to provide tomb cleaning/maintenance services on a per piece or monthly/ quarterly/annual basis against direct payments from the family of the buried persons.”
He opined that with a large and sturdy metal skip to hold rubbish and a prominently displayed notice board appealing for visitors’ help to keep the cemetery clean, the cemetery would definitely have a new and better look as well as help to project a good image for the Roman Catholic Mission which owns the cemetery.