Sarudu (second left) and Nansian (right) shaking hands after exchanging the MoU signed between STIDC and Redeems yesterday. The signing of the MoU was witnessed by Abang Johari (centre). BAU: Sarawakians, unlike people in other parts of the world, are not occupied with quarrelling among themselves. Instead, they are occupied with festivals appreciating each other’s culture, said Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg. Considering that mutual respect and tolerance level are very high among Sarawakians, irrespective of their religious background, they must continue to preserve this culture and show to the world that Sarawak is a place for people to visit and learn, he added. “With that strong platform, leaders can think of how to develop our country because we are not troubled by other things. Our work is to find ways to develop our state. I took over from Tok Nan (former Chief Minister the late Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem). “Tok Nan has done his part, I continue what has been done by Tok Nan. That’s why, we have to preserve that culture. We do not want extreme people to jeopardise our unity. Tok Nan used the word ‘bigots’ but I don’t want to be that strong, I say ‘orang kacau’ (troublemakers); we do not want ‘orang kacau’ to disturb us because we are very united,” he said when launching the first Borneo Tribal Fest 2017-cum-Gawai Raya and official opening of the Borneo Tribal Village (BTV) at Kampung Apar, Singai, here, yesterday. Abang Johari said with the power entrusted to his administration, their focus would be on developing the state’s tourism industry, biodiversity and creating new jobs, among others. “That’s why in the first week I became your Chief Minister, I told State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani that I want to leapfrog Sarawak from a conventional economy to a digital economy. “Surely, we need to have overall development of our basic infrastructures. We are going to spend RM1 billion to upgrade our high speed Internet up to the backhaul (speed) of four-terabit per second so that we can have big data and this big data includes our culture, whatever information we have, including for us to promote our various places of interests.” Abang Johari also took the opportunity to congratulate Borneo Tribal Fest 2017 organising committee chairman and advisor of BTV Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie for his initiative to transform Bau into a tourist destination for the state’s tourism industry. “I’m sure BTV with its Borneo Tribal Fest will become a new product for Sarawak as far as the tourism industry is concerned and therefore it will definitely give a lot of spin-off to people residing in Bau while at the same time, we can promote our beautiful culture that is second to none.” Meanwhile, Nansian, who is also Redeems president, said BTV is a place for perpetual wellness where one can live, learn in leisure, nestle in the jungle of Borneo and yet only 33 kilometres from Kuching. “BTV is designed to have a dedicated one-way visitors’ trail so that visitors to BTV can see most of the attractions here in an orderly manner when they follow the visitors’ trail shown in the BTV masterplan. “Thus, BTV can involve the community in a potentially visible non-polluting industry, good for the people and the state.” Besides that, he said BTV will be able to provide an avenue for government agencies like Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) to collaborate with a pro-government non-governmental organisation like Redeems to work together to create a timber tree park reserve as part of the state heritage within easy reach and freely open to the public for appreciation and learning and as part of tourism development in the state. “I know that Minister of Industrial and Entrepreneur Development Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan has also seen the bamboo industry in China and can vouch the bamboo industry not only has good potential as a non-timber industry but also can be used as a rural transformation programme. And I also know that Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas is also a fan of bamboo. Thus, we hope that we can get all-round support for this initiative to make this project a success for our people and our state.” The event yesterday also saw a signing of memorandum of understanding between STIDC and Redeems to develop the Bamboo Park and Sarawak Timber Trees Park. STIDC general manager Datu Sarudu Hoklai signed for STIDC while Nansian signed for Redeems.

Sharifah Hasidah SayeedAman Ghazali KUCHING: The trip to London by the state’s legal team next week is a fact-finding mission on the Malaysia Agreement 1963, especially to confirm facts through documents in the archives there. According to Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring assistant minister Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali, who will head the delegation, the trip will help the state to be factual in their discussions with the federal government on the state’s rights. “We want to see the real facts, and we don’t want to be speculative and to only interpret things,” she said when met at Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri’s Hari Raya open house at the old State Legislative Assembly (DUN) building here yesterday. According to Sharifah Hasidah, the team, comprising eight experts including lawyers, will be there for a week from July 16. “The trip is meant for something that the state wants to be sure about in dealing with the federal government, and as it is for the sake of the state, it is not wastage of public funds,” she stressed. When asked on documents which are in the hands of activist Lina Soo, who said she was willing to hand them over to the legal team, Sharifah Hasidah said they welcome such move. “If they want to give it to us please do, so we can have a look and read as we are open to it,” she said. Meanwhile, Nancy said the trip by the legal team is the right of the state government to dig into the state’s past history. “The move is not interfering with the current discussion already in place, as the state and the technical committee will present their findings to the federal (gevernment)which acts as the steering committee, which I am part of,” Nancy pointed out. She said the discussion is a continuous and on-going process, and should the findings reveal more information on the rights of Sarawak and its resources, then it is indeed beneficial. “What is more important for us is not to look at the cost for the trip, but to look at the aspect of history which we might need to relook,” she added. On another matter, Nancy pointed out that it is still a long way to go for nuclear energy to be used in the country, with 2030 the estimated target. “We need to first change the perception of the public on nuclear energy, and now the country is still in its preparation stage,” she said. She added that the country needs alternative energy source as renewable energy is not sufficient and as a country seeking rapid development, it needs to plan early for such moves.

Turut diadakan acara ber-konsep muzik dan persembahan tradisional suku kaum di Sarawak pada sebelah malamnya, jelasnya. Untuk generasi baharu pula, katanya, ia pasti menarik dengan persembahan muzikal bertenaga daripada golongan belia sama ada dengan iringan irama tradisional mahupun moden. Sepanjang tiga hari itu, tambahnya, pelbagai gerai turut akan dibuka termasuk hasil kraf tangan terutamanya dari kaum Penan. @##@Pejabat Daerah Kecil Long Lama@##@Long lama@##@2013-09-27@##@2013-09-29

Abdul Karim (right) helping Abang Johari put on the Bidayuh traditional vest during the latter’s arrival to launch the Borneo Tribal Fest 2017 cum Gawai Raya and official opening of Borneo Tribal Village (BTV) at Kampung Apar, Singai yesterday. — Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi BAU: The state government has a master plan to develop Bau and surrounding areas like Lundu and Sematan to be among the major tourism destinations in the state. Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said such initiative will not only be able to drive the tourism sector, but also encourage development and economic activities in the areas involved. “We have an overall plan for Bau. Bau will be connected to Lundu and Sematan and these areas have been identified as a tourism zone. We will develop all the infrastructures related to tourism,” he said when launching the first Borneo Tribal Fest 2017 cum Gawai Raya and official opening of Borneo Tribal Village (BTV) at Kampung Apar, Singai here yesterday. Apart from that, Abang Johari said the tourism attractions in Siniawan, like the thriving night market there, will be further developed by integrating them with the Rajah Brooke’s Bungalow nearby to make the area more appealing to tourists. “I have told the elected representative there that if possible, rear horses for horse riding in Siniawan. Whoever wants the experience to be like Rajah Brooke, then you can ride horses there. Of course, that will link to Bau and then we have a master plan for Bau town and areas surrounding Bau, including here (Kampung Apar) and then from Bau, it goes to Lundu and Sematan.” Abang Johari strikes the gong to launch the Borneo Tribal Fest 2017 cum Gawai-Raya and official opening of Borneo Tribal Village (BTV) at Kampung Apar in Singai. Also seen are (front, from left) Henry, Ranum, Abdul Karim and Juma’ani. Nansian is at right. In stressing the need for public transportation in the state to be upgraded, Abang Johari said that would also enable tourists to enjoy the surroundings while travelling to the different tourist destinations in the state. Citing travelling to Bau and the surrounding areas as an example, Abang Johari said in the future, there could be a Light Railway Transit (LRT) loop to these areas, similar to the LRT development plan linking Kuching, Samarahan and Serian. He envisioned that with all the basic facilities pertaining to the LRT services in place, it would enable tourists visiting Bau and the surrounding areas to go in big groups, instead of individually or in small groups. “Let me do the LRT up to Serian first. The moment we have that finished, then we will have a loop. Maybe not during my time, maybe another chief minister can continue it to have a loop and that LRT loop will go through Bau, Lundu, Sematan right to Damai in Kuching.” Abang Johari said he shared this because the state government has a master plan. “Give me time, I have been the Chief Minister for only six months. The Development Bank of Sarawak (DBOS) will start in January. That will finance all our strategic area (projects).” Besides Bau, Abang Johari said the state government felt that the whole of Sarawak had a lot of potentials. “We are also going to develop Mukah. In Recoda (Regional Corridor Development Authority), we have formed the Upper Rajang Development Agency. In the highland, we have formed Highland Development Agency because there are a lot of attractions in our highlands including Ba Kelalan and Bario. “The whole services industry has potential for Sarawak. The only thing is for us to promote and provide basic infrastructures.” Abang Johari samples some stingless bee honey at the BTV. The chief minister is flanked by Juma’ani and Nansian. In order to provide reliable water and electricity supply to the people, Abang Johari said the moment he became the chief minister, the state acquired Bakun HEP back from the federal government. “With that, we can plan our power supply. Secondly water, we will use new method that is we use water from our dams. What’s the use of using water from river, when sometimes the river has no water. “So we will use dams as raw water source, we treat the water and then we will have a state pipe grid just like electricity. There will be piping throughout the state so all the places will have water. “For Bau, of course, it (water supply) will be Bau up to Lundu that had been announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and now in the process of implementation. That will cover the water supply to this area and also power supply.” With the cooperation from the people and elected representatives, Abang Johari believed that the government would be able to implement any master plan that they have in the pipeline. “I will come again to Bau next week. I will come again and bring another ‘buah tangan’ (gift) for people of Bau.” Among those present at the event were Abang Johari’s wife Datin Amar Dato Juma’ani Tuanku Bujang, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Tasik Biru assemblyman Dato Henry Harry Jinep, Opar assemblyman Datuk Ranum Mina and Borneo Tribal Fest 2017 organising chairman Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie.

In the program, it would create a sense of belonging and community players that love the motherland, and to foster a spirit of unity among them. "Therefore, in order to promote the mission and vision, we pick a theme or design lanterns and floats feature a variety of cultural and community theme," 50 Years of Glory Sarawak Sarawak Enjoyed Harmony Prosperity ', "he said at a press conference at his office here, Saturday. He added that the main objective of the program was to inculcate and strengthen the spirit of patriotism, loyalty and love for the motherland, the people and the country. "The program will also foster unity and goodwill among its members, government departments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community residents as well as here. @##@Majlis Daerah Sarikei, Pejabat Residen Sarikei@##@Sarikei@##@2013-10-12@##@2013-10-12

Sibu Base Jump is planning to be carried out just a week before KL Tower Jump. The jump takes off from the top of Wisma SANYAN, currently, the tallest building in Sarawak, Malaysia and land at Sibu Town Square phase 1. @##@Sibu Tourism Task Force Group@##@Sibu@##@2013-09-20@##@2013-09-23

Traditionally celebrated every year, the Pakan Festival brings together a variety of interesting program planned by the Steering Committee of Governors to those who visit the festival site later. Pakan Festival this year is expected to more interesting and lively than in previous years as celebrated in conjunction with the 50 th anniversary of Independence of Sarawak in Malaysia. People who are interested in participating in the various activities during the festival to feed can get more information from the District Office at the online Feed 084-917002 or 084-719211 during office hours. @##@Pakan District Office@##@ Pakan @##@2013-09-18@##@2013-09-22

"Our main objective to organize this festival is to promote the rapid development of Kabong as competitive and be a tourist destination for people from within and outside the district Kabong. "At the same time, it will be a platform to promote the activities of the small business community and industry Kabong to outsiders about the products that are rarely found elsewhere. @##@District Office Kabong@##@Small town Kabong@##@2013-09-27@##@2013-09-29

- @##@Limbang Resident Office@##@Dataran Jubli Emas dan Sungai Limbang@##@2013-09-24@##@2013-09-29

KUCHING: The Infrastructure Development and Transportation Ministry is in favour of the proposal to upgrade the Long Lupeng-Ba Kelalan Road at an estimated cost of RM36 million. According to Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing, a timber company operating in the Ulu Trusan and Limbang areas has suggested upgrading the 80km stretch into a standard R1 Category road. “The cost proposed is RM36 million. I’m in favour of it and the state government will try to find the money to finance the upgrading of this road,” Masing – also the Infrastructure Development and Transportation Minister – said yesterday, adding that there are more than 20 Orang Ulu settlements between Long Lupeng and Ba Kelalan, as well as schools, clinics and other government agencies. “I think it is worthwhile to invest RM36 million for a 80km rural mountain road. The timber company can build it at such a reasonable cost because they already have all the machinery in place, considering that they are the main concessionaire in the area. “They have promised that after the road is upgraded, logging trucks would not be allowed on it to ensure that the road would not be damaged. They (timber company) have also agreed to maintain the road as part of their social corporate responsibility after the upgrading has been completed,” he said. A R1 standard road is a gravel road, but is safe and drivable. Having one linking Long Lupeng and Ba Kelalan would cut journey time from the present eight to 12 hours to about three hours. The whole journey from Lawas to Ba Kelalan spans about 150km. At present, the stretch between Lawas and Long Lupeng, about 70km, is also a R1 road. There has been no complaint about this road; the complaints have been about the 80km Long Lupeng-Ba Kelalan stretch – dubbed as the ‘Buffalo Trail’ due to its dire condition, which is in need of attention in view of the 3,000 people living between Long Lupeng and Ba Kelalan. According to locals, the road was in a better condition than it was before the upgrading works under the Jiwa Murni programme three years ago. However, it suffered damage due to frequent usage by heavy logging trucks. The villagers complained that it would take them an entire day to make their journey; the drivers had to form convoys and bring along food and drinks in case their vehicles got stuck along the muddy and treacherous terrain. “It is the responsibility of the government to provide road connectivity and we will do it.  There is no dam in Ba Kelalan, but the government will be urgently seeking funds for the (Long Lupeng-Bakelalan) road to be upgraded,” assured Masing.

Asia Music Festival is a 2-day musical event featuring artistes and musicians from Asian countries namely from India, Korea, Indonesia, Brunei Philippines and Malaysia. Visit http://asiamusicfestival.net for more information.@##@Sarawak Tourism Board@##@Eastwood Valley Golf & Country Club@##@2013-10-04@##@2013-10-05

Wong (centre) hands over the document of office to Chew, witnessed by Tiong. SIBU: Sarawak’s economy will one day be knowledge-based in which information and knowledge rather than material resources drive economic activities, said Second Finance Minister and Minister of International Trade and E-Commerce Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh. “Knowledge and information transcend all boundaries,” he said, adding that in time to come, it will no longer be individual countries which are ‘knowledge economies’. “The whole world is one big ‘knowledge economy’ with countries linked to one another via the fast-growing Internet. We in Sarawak will have no other choice but to join and be part of the network. The nations that can ride the fast-growing, first-moving information technology are the ones that will succeed and will do better than the others,” he said when addressing attendees at the Sarawak E-Commerce Association (SEA)’s first committee installation ceremony at a leading hotel here on Sunday night. Chew Heo Lee took his oath of office as SEA’s first president before Wong and Sibu Municipal Council chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King, who is also Dudong assemblyman. Wong said everyone, particularly the younger generation, would need to be prepared for this ride and for the challenges and opportunities ahead. “It may be difficult for some, exhilarating for others but necessary for all,” he pointed out. He said the state government under Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg has taken a far-sighted step in Sarawak’s economic transformation by charting and embarking towards the digital economy as a new economic thrust for the state. “It is indeed a wise decision for the state to embrace an IT-based economy to stay relevant and to compete with other countries. “We would like to call upon all government departments and agencies, and business players and entrepreneurs, particularly the younger technocrats, to support the bold move and aspiration of our Chief Minister. The government recognises that inadequate mobile broadband and phone coverage still remain a significant issue, particularly in suburban and rural areas. “Therefore, our Chief Minister has committed RM1 billion for investment in digital economy initiatives to improve the telecommunication infrastructure to address these shortcomings,” he pointed out. Wong hoped that in time to come, Sarawak could have easier and speedier access to a digital network to fully exploit the opportunities of e-commerce. E-commerce, he said, is a business that takes place electronically, generally over the Internet. There could be three types of e-commerce – business to business (B2B) which involves businesses that sell products or services to other businesses; business to consumer (B2C) which involves businesses that sells products and services to end-users/consumers; and consumer to consumer (C2C) where consumers interact and perform transactions with each other. Wong remarked entrepreneurs needed to come to grips with not only familiarising themselves with e-commerce jargon but also the appropriate e-commerce tools to use for a specific product or business. According to him, with little guidance, 80 per cent of e-commerce entrepreneurs either give up or limit themselves to domestic market. Elaborating on e-commerce, he said it is a tool that provides a fast and easy way to buy and sell products and services, enables buying and selling to take place 24/7 anywhere in the world, involves lower operational cost, and provides more variety to promote competition, resulting in better products and services. On the other hand, Wong cautioned, there are also disadvantages to the promotion of e-commerce. “Anyone, good or bad, can start a business in e-commerce. Online fraud can frequently occur and there is no absolute guarantee of product quality. It can be difficult to control point of failures in the process chain from transactions and payments to delivery of products,” he said. In this light, Wong said the role of his ministry is to plan and develop capacity building for local entrepreneurs to be ready for e-commerce by taking their business from brick-and-mortar to the borderless digital market. He said his ministry will establish global networking and collaborations with selected organisations to strengthen local e-commerce, and establish e-commerce innovation centres for prospective companies and entrepreneurs to fast-track their readiness for international trade and e-commerce. “We must also craft and develop key strategies and institute regulatory frameworks along with policy guidelines to prepare ourselves to be an e-commerce centre to promote, educate and develop human capital or entrepreneurs to venture into e-commerce. We will therefore organise a series of seminar and dialogue sessions with various business organisations, chambers of commerce and with the prospective traders and entrepreneurs, particularly the younger ones, to get feedback, educate, disseminate and suggest the ways forward. “We would therefore like to call upon all of you to engage yourselves fully in our endeavour to promote e-commerce and in the process, to bring maximum benefits to the state of Sarawak and its people,” Wong added.

(From fourth left) Tay, Manyin, Dr Annuar, Thai King, Hii and others posing for photograph in front of the new multi-purpose education building of Catholic High School. SIBU: The wisdom of the state government to support Chinese independent secondary schools has enabled these schools to enjoy the fruits of their labour, according to Catholic High School’s Board of Directors chairman Tan Sri Datuk Sir Tiong Hiew King. He said with the support of the government, these schools are able to operate with sufficient funding and able to concentrate more on improving the quality of education they provide. “More efforts will be spent on training teachers and to update the teaching curriculum with new developments and innovations. “With these improvements, the schools will be able to produce graduates that contribute to nation-building and social and economic development,” he said at the opening of the school’s multi-purpose education building yesterday. Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong officiated at the function. Tiong’s text of speech was read by Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King. According to Hiew King, Chinese independent schools are a cultural fortress for the Chinese community and if the fortress collapses, the community would lose a platform to preserve and continue their social culture. He said the Chinese are very fortunate to have the freedom and rights to study and to teach Chinese language in Malaysia. “When the late Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem started to give grants to Chinese independent schools, it symbolised the beginning of a new era for the Chinese community. “This announcement may seem to arrive late but we must understand this decision was only possible because of the open-minded and tolerance ideology practised by our late chief minister,” he said. He said although it may seem to be a logical and fair policy to implement, due to complex and sensitive racial issues, Chinese independent schools are still excluded from the National Education Policy after over 50 years of the nation’s independence. He noted that Adenan’s voice on behalf of the Chinese community had won the praises of the people and set a new standard for future education policies. “We are much delighted and relieved to know that our current Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari (Tun Openg) has pledged to continue Adenan’s legacy to grant support and recognition to Chinese independent schools,” he enthused. Meanwhile, Hiew King requested for another RM1 million grant to facilitate Catholic High School’s development project. Also present at the event were Education and Technological Research assistant minister Dr Annuar Rapaee, Sibu Resident Hii Chang Kee, Catholic High School principal Rev Bro Anthony Tay and Monsignor Michael Lee.

The Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) in collaboration with the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) and Sarawak State Government will be hosting CAPAM Regional Forum on 27-30 October 2013 in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. @##@CAPAM, MAMPU, Sarawak Government@##@Pullman Hotel@##@2013-10-27@##@2013-10-30

Samarahan Regatta 2013 in conjunction with the Merdeka celebration 50 Years of Sarawak in Malaysia will be held on 8 to 10 November 2013 at the Waterfront Village Tambirat Asajaya. @##@Resident Office Samarahan@##@Samarahan@##@2013-11-08@##@2013-11-10

@##@Bintulu Development Authority (BDA) @##@Bintulu@##@2013-11-15@##@2013-11-17

This is a ethnic drum festival; performances during the night and workshops during the day. The major ethnic groups of Sarawak - Iban, Malay, Orang Ulu and Melanau - will be joined by performers from Terengganu and Pontianak, Indonesia. It also serves to promote traditional music to youngsters to foster better ties amongst the various ethnicities. “The festival also acts as a tourism product to attract tourists to Kuching and as an effort to create a cultural city,” he said at a press conference yesterday. @##@Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) @##@Godown Amphitheatre at the Kuching Waterfront@##@2013-11-22@##@2013-11-23

EXCLUSIVELY brought to you by Kidz Paradize. Definitely the most exciting & hilarious  LIVE ON STAGE Performance in Kuching this year! Suitable for children, young adults who grew up with Looney Tunes cartoons, parents & grandparents @##@Kidz Paradize@##@Stadium Perpaduan Negeri, Kuching @##@2013-11-21@##@2013-11-24

Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) will organize a program Joyo Cycling Fun Ride on 23 November 2013 (Saturday), beginning at 7:00 am, at the Kuching Esplanade, Gambier Street, Kuching. This program is to foster a culture of active and intelligent life among the city's residents, foster a culture of sports among city dwellers, and thus fostering closer ties among participants. While some of the activities to be held are as follows: - · Exercise Fitness Fun, · Joyo Fun Ride Cycling Event, and · Lucky Draw. @##@The Commission of The City of Kuching North (DBKU)@##@Esplanade Kuching, Jalan Gambier, Kuching.@##@2013-11-23@##@2013-11-23

Held on the 15th day after the Chinese New year Calendar. This event is to commemorate the last day of Chinese New Year Festival. A colorful parade and displays of Chinese cultures and heritage will be held throughout the day and night. The event is participated by the multi racial society reflecting the harmonious relation that they are enjoying. For more info MBKS, Chap Goh Meh Festival , please contact Ms Lilian Liew, Tel: 082-354200, Fax:082-417372 Organizer: Kuching South City Council For more info Bau, Chap Goh Meh Festival , please contact Penghulu Lai Shey Hiong, Hp: 019-8188613, Tel: 082-699131 Organizer: Siniawan Development and Security Committee@##@Siniawan Development and Security Committee/ Kuching South City Council@##@Siniawan Town, Bau, Kuching@##@2015-02-27@##@2015-03-05