BAU: The Sarawak government will take over the Marina building operated by the Malaysian Marine Department in Kuching by purchasing the building to be used as the headquarters of the Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB).
Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Henry Harry Jinep said it was one of the essences discussed when he met with Transport Minister Anthony Loke last Wednesday in Putrajaya (Jan 11).
“The meeting’s outcome is to purchase the Marina building and use it as SRB headquarters after it has been taken over. Previously, the board had only rented a building.
“As agreed upon with the minister, they would expedite the process, and an estimate has been made in terms of the cost that the regional government should pay to purchase the facility,” he said.
He told reporters this after officiating the Sikora Rowing Competition in conjunction with the Official Opening Ceremony of the Bidayuh Cultural Village and the 25th Anniversary of Redeems at Dewan Datuk Peter Nansian, Kampung Apar in Bau, here last night (Jan 13).
In response to a question regarding the price of the building, he stated that an announcement would be made despite the fact that the Land and Survey Department had already determined a price.
“All we can do is wait. If we take over, the federal government would negotiate with our government over the costs that must be borne,” he explained.
In addition, Henry also requested an allocation from the federal government to remove or dispose of the shipwrecks that have sunk in Sarawak waters to provide safety facilities for other ships.
“The third essential requirement is that we need a method to track any ship that enters our seas along the 1,000 kilometres of our coast. Although this system currently exists, SRB must subscribe from the marine side.
“This system can track the location, time, and date of foreign ships that anchor and enter Sarawak waters,” he added.
Earlier on Wednesday, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin led a delegation of officials from his ministry to pay a visit to Transport Minister Anthony Loke in Putrajaya.
During the visit, Lee was accompanied by his two deputies, Datuk Dr Jerip Susil (Aviation and Roads) and Henry (River and Sea), as well as Sarawak Ministry of Transport adviser Dr Lawrence Tseu.
The main objective of the visit was to discuss important issues and proposals to improve transport in Sarawak with the Malaysian Minister of Transport.
