Making Kuching City a vibrant and thriving avenue for performing arts activities

We congratulate organisers of the second edition of the “Born To Perform” Dance Competition 2026 which had attracted overwhelming response from ballet academies from throughout Sarawak, Sabah, Labuan, West Malaysia and neighbouring Indonesia.

This year’s event is once again held at the auditorium of Borneo Cultures Museum (BCM) in Kuching and participants from 16 academies had showcased their talents at the two-day competition. We hope the organisers will continue their good job in sustaining this wonderful event that has attracted the attention of young talented people from throughout our country and even neighbouring countries.

In my brief speech, I have called on our local folks to support the organising of performing arts events and activities which will help to promote our city as it goes beyond infrastructure development and to continue providing good avenues for artistic expression and recreational activities.

It is important for all of us to play our roles in developing a vibrant city that embraces performing arts, sports and entertainment activities which can nurture well-rounded youths while creating a dynamic urban environment.

That is what we want for our young people...at least they will not be diverted into many other undesirable influences. Their active participation in arts and sports plays a key role in character-building and helps develop future leaders.

My comments on the "Rain Rave Water Mysuc Festival 2026" at Bukit Bintangin Kuala Lumpur

I have called on event organiser to first assess various aspects, including the suitability of the locations for the staging of events, the background of potential participants and the impacts on traffic flow, before organising any forms of large-scale programmes, especially involving water activities. Organising any event in the city has its advantages and disadvantages, but we must give careful consideration in having large scale events which is crucial in avoiding any inconvenience to the public and other stakeholders.

I was commenting on the recent discussions on various social media platforms regarding the “Rain Rave Water Music Festival” or “Water Festival 2026”, from April 30 to May 2, at Bukit Bintang, in Kuala Lumpur.

Personally, I see every event as having its pros and cons. However, the organisers must look at it from various perspectives, including the location, the background of the participants and the impacts on traffic congestion in that area. I have mentioned an example of the previous water festival held in Sibu Jaya where it showed positive developments as the event gained more and more popularity every year.

In Sibu Jaya, the water festival has been held several times and is growing. Last year, attendance was estimated at around 20,000 people, and I see it being able to bring the family institution closer together, from children to the elderly,” he said. However, I have stressed that choosing the right location was an important factor, especially to avoid disruption to commercial areas and road users.

If it is held in an area like in Bukit Bintang, which is densely populated with business premises, it may cause inconvenience. People may enter the premises in wet conditions, thus affecting the business and the comfort of other visitors. In this regard, he suggested that such events be held in more controlled locations, such as Taman Tasik Titiwangsa or Dataran Merdeka. If it is being held in a closed or controlled area, it is easier to manage without affecting traffic or surrounding businesses...those who want to participate can come to the location without disturbing others.

I have also reminded that safety aspects need to be given attention, including the risk of injury and property damage due to wet participants entering premises or unsuitable areas. These matters need to be considered carefully before a location is selected or being approved by the local authorities concerned.

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.