SIBU: The location of the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) city hall has not yet been determined.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said that he hopes that the city hall will become a new landmark for the Swan city.
“It must be strategically located and become a landmark. I hope Deputy Premier Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian and SMC chairman Clarence Ting will find and try to have a good design for this hall surrounded by new development in Sibu.
“Then Sibu would become a place for tourists to come,” he said in his speech during the SMC open house at Sibu Civic Centre here today (Jan 28).
In this regard, Abang Johari urged cooperation among all parties in the interest of Sibu and expressed optimism for the district’s future development on par with that of the rest of Sarawak.
He also noted that Sibu will be connected to a new road through Batang Igan, where it will also link to the coastal road and the Pan Borneo Highway.
“Sibu will also have a new settlement around the Kemuyang area right up to the road near kampung Nangka, and that will disperse the housing settlement as well as commercial development in Sibu, including Bukit Lima, near the new park (Taman Rimba Bukit Lima) where people can exercise.
“That park has to be transformed so that it may be used as another community recreation facility. We have the Piasau Nature Reserve in Miri, and we want to create a second nature reserve in Sibu for public usage,” he explained.
Elaborating further, Abang Johari said that as Sibu town is located on peat soil, a modern approach must be used to prevent flooding in the area.
“Despite the fact that it can be costly, we must find a solution. Nevertheless, with the support of the Sibu people, I have initiated the Sibu renewal programme, starting from Bukit Assek, and this event will turn Sibu into a destination that is friendly to tourism.
“Since you have all the products, the only thing left is for us to properly plan for Sibu due to the different circumstances within the parameters of developing it, and we need experts to assist us,” he said.
