Abd Karim: Kuching Waterfront should be managed by single entity
KUCHING: Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah feels that the whole stretch of the Kuching Waterfront should be managed by a single entity.
Currently, he said the Kuching Waterfront is jointly managed by Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) and Kuching North City Commission ( DBKU) “which does not make sense”.
“I feel that there should not be more than one entity to manage the Kuching Waterfront properly as it may affect the development and tourism plans in the area,” he suggested at the Chap Goh Mei festival at India Street Pedestrian Mall on Wednesday night.
In his opinion, the Kuching Waterfront should be handled solely by DBKU, which was verbally agreed to by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg recently.
He added that if there is an agreement between SEDC and DBKU to manage the Kuching Waterfront jointly, the Sarawak government is ready to amend it.
“At the end of the day, the most important thing is to ensure that proper planning can be mooted to ensure that the Kuching Waterfront will become vibrant and filled with activities,” he said.
On another note, he called upon the business communities at the Kuching Waterfront and those in Carpenter Street to work together to transform the heritage area, and to look at other places such as Singapore and Melaka to seek inspiration and ideas.
He also suggested that those living in this area should be part of the transformation process and make the area an attraction for domestic and international tourists.
Meanwhile, the festival with its theme ‘A Celebration of Prosperity in Diversity’ included performances such as lion dance, dragon dance, 24 seasons drums, Chinese traditional orchestra, a multicultural performance by primary school students, a mandarin orange tossing ceremony and ethnic group performances.
On the sidelines, Abdul Karim who represented Abang Johari at the festival, also launched the first Kuching art mural and took some time to visit a lantern display.
Also present were Minister of Local Government and Housing Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian, Datuk Bandar of DBKU Datuk Abang Abdul Wahap Abang Julai, India Street Pedestrian Mall management committee chairman Dato Wee Hong Seng, Federation of Chinese Associations of Kuching, Samarahan and Serian Divisions president Dato Richard Wee, Kuching Chinese General Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Dato Tan Jit Kee and Plaza Merdeka Holdings managing director Dato Steve Ng.