Official opening of UNIFOR Complex at Jalan Ong Tiang Swee

The official opening of the Unit For Other Religions (UNIFOR) Complex located at Jalan One Tiang Swee Kuching was graced by our right honourable Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Abang Haji Openg. The event was attended by guests from various religious associations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) including our two deputy premiers of Sarawak namely Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas who is also chairperson of UNIFOR and Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian as well as local dignitaries.

Our esteemed premier in his address had mentioned that Sarawak Government had so far allocated a total of RM635 million to UNIFOR, with RM560 million channelled to hundreds of non-Muslim houses of worship with about RM120 million for the development of mission schools throughout the state. 

Established in 2017, UNIFOR is functioning as a dedicated government unit to coordinate and distribute state assistance for non-Muslim houses of worship in a more structured and inclusive manner. The new UNIFOR Complex will serve as the main administrative and operations centre with the approach reflects the State’s continued focus on maintaining stability and supporting development through cooperation among its diverse communities. 

According to him,  the establishment of the complex if crucial as a central point for engagement among different religious groups, where discussions can be held to address issues and seek common solutions. Modern parking solutions, including automated systems, will be introduced in the near future. At the same function, it was also announced that Petroliam Sarawak Berhad (PETROS) will contribute RM1 million to UNIFOR to support future programmes and activities.

Over 24,000 crowd at Miri's edition of "Sarawak Ku Sayang (SKS) 2026" programmed

The Miri edition of the ongoing “Sarawak Ku Sayang (SKS) 2026” programme which was held on April 24 and 26 at Miri Stadium had attracted over 24,000 people over its three-day run. The three-day event was graced by our right honourable Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Abang Haji Openg who was accompanied by his two deputies namely Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian and local dignitaries. 

The much awaited event had attracted our local folks from Miri division as well as those from its vicinity with the participation from various ministries, government agencies and departments in the exhibition booths showcased during the event.

In his opening speech, our right honourable Premier has mentioned that Miri could be transformed into a well planned and developed city similar to Shanghai in China. This is because the transformation and development of the new offshore port as well as coastal township at Kuala Baram would be driven by scientific findings on hydraulic flow at the Baram estuary. 

Such development could naturally lead to the formation of new land for future development and the land can gradually form, and once that happens, such land mass can develop it into industrial and commercial zones. Potentially it will transform the landscape of Kuala Baram into an attractive coastal township, with sea-facing buildings that offer premium value making Miri to become like Shanghai in China.

Official opening of the iconic Brooke Dockyard Industrial Heritage Museum

Members of the public and also visitors can now visit the newly opened Brooke Dockyard Industrial Heritage Museum at Jalan Masjid, Kuching which will boost the tourism attraction within our city and Sarawak. The new museum is also part of our Government’s efforts under its Third Sarawak Tourism Master Plan to increase tourist arrivals from 4.6 million to 12.7 million. 

With such visitors’ turnout, we are hoping for the tourism industry to generate an estimated RM50 billion in economic returns by 2035. Thus, the opening of the Brooke Dockyard Industrial Heritage Museum will certainly further enrich Sarawak’s portfolio of tourism destinations because it is filled with unique and engaging exhibits. The facility itself is over 100 years old and is expected to attract an extraordinary number of visitors, comparable to the impressive record achieved by Borneo Cultures Museum (BCM). 

Such initiative also supports the Sustainable and Responsible Tourism thrust, which focuses on nurturing social values through heritage preservation, encouraging cultural sharing, and promoting data-driven scientific thinking. We hope it will produce a generation of Sarawakians with strong cognitive foundations, ready to face the challenges of the modern world and capable of competing at the global level by the year 2030. 

The transformation of Brooke Dockyard into an industrial heritage museum was a high-impact initiative carried out in phases from 2020 to 2025, involving a total cost of approximately RM46.7 million. It is through this transformation, the well known Brooke Dockyard, which is the oldest and highly iconic shipyard in Malaysia, has taken on a new look in which it has shifted from an industrial site into a living archive showcasing the impact of the Industrial Revolution in Sarawak for present and future generations.

It showcases a collection of heavy machinery and equipment that once powered the dockyard’s daily operations, as well as unique engineering structures found in a dry dock including a replica of His Highness’ Yacht (HHY) Zahora that had previously symbolised the grandeur of the Brooke administration era. We thanked our right honourable Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Abang Haji Openg for having graced the official opening ceremony.

Possible postponement of the 22nd Malaysia Games (SUKMAXXII) due to Middle East crisis

Recently there were news on the possible postponement of the 22nd edition of the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) and Sarawak will abide by as well as respect of any decision made by the organisers on this matter. Our media friends had seek my comments after the Sultan of Selangor, had called for the games in Selangor to be postponed due to the ongoing conflict in the West Asia. The proposal made by the Sultan of Selangor had involved a postponement rather than a cancellation, taking into account the current uncertain situation.

In Sarawak, the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development (MYSED) had not received any official decision from the Selangor Government or the Federal’s Ministry of Youth and Sports on the matter because it was informed through social media and news reports. We will abide by the decision to be made by Selangor even though Sarawak has made thorough preparations for the sporting event, including financial commitments as well as training preparations for athletes locally and abroad, in addition to efforts to inspect accommodation sites.

For the record, the hosting of this year’s SUKMA will involve nine districts in Selangor, so Sarawak have already conducted ground visits to all the locations to assess and determine suitable accommodation, including homestays, for the contingent. Although there would be disappointment if SUKMA2026 is postponed, the priority should be given to a collective decision that takes into account the current global situation.

Of course, we feel disappointed as a lot of effort and preparation has been made, but we leave it to the federal government, the Selangor state government, and the KBS to make the best decision. The Sultan of Selangor had also decreed that postponing the event would also be appropriate until the redevelopment of Shah Alam Stadium is fully completed. The organising of this year’s SUKMA by Selangor Government had required very high allocation

Over 5,000 delegates atGabungan Parti Sarawak Convention 2026 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK)

Over 5,000 delegates from throughout the state had attended this year's Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) Convention which was held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) with the official opening ceremony was graced by the right honourable Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Abang Haji Openg.

The one-day convention was jointly organised by the coalition's four component parties had served as an important platform to strengthen unity as well as direction of our struggle in ensuring political stability and Sarawak's development continues to be strengthened. 

The convention brings together the party coalition through an important mandate that looks back on the journey of GPS since its establishment in 2018. My thanks to our media friends from TVS who had organised an interview for my comments and views on the much awaited convention for leaders as well as grassroot members of GPS. 

We have been united in facing various challenges under the leadership of our Premier together with respective component members but we have jointly been able to steer GPS safely to prosperity and stability.

We see from what has been done in the near future, whether it is the construction of bridges and the funds that have been obtained at that time. Even though we have differences of opinion within the component parties, such situation do not affect the common goal because all parties share the vision of seeing Sarawak continue to progress and to remain united.

The GPS 2026 convention had gathered leaders and delegates from across Sarawak, representing four component parties, namely the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP), the Sarawak People's Party (PRS) and the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP). Among the takeaways we had in the convention were the values ​​of trust and integrity as the foundation of leadership, our continuous fight for Sarawak's rights as mentioned by Premier of Sarawak's opening address.