Abang Johari (right) looking on as a DBKU staff pats down the soil around a newly-planted Yellow Bells sapling. Under the DBKU Tree Planting Programme, 66 of these will be planted along Jalan Muhibbah. Another 145 Powder Puff saplings will be planted at Jalan Patinggan.
Abang Johari gets his blood pressure checked at a booth at the carnival.
KUCHING: Kampung Bintangor here aims to be the first village in the country to have a unit trust board similar to Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), which will be housed at the upcoming Bangunan Hikmah Exchange at Bina Mara.
Both the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak and Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem are expected to attend the ground breaking ceremony on May 3.
The RM400 million building, owned by Yayasan Hartanah Bumiputera Sarawak and developed by Permodalan Satok Berhad, consists of 22 storeys with two office towers, an event centre and multi-level parking.
The Barisan Nasional candidate for Satok Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said the Islamic financial hub will be an icon of their village, to show that they have the knowledge to manage their funds.
“Our future is bright. We have a unit trust board like PNB,” he said when attending the final day of ‘Rioh Nar Juak Eh!’ carnival organised by Kampung Bintangor Kecil Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK).
Abang Johari, who is also Tourism Minister and Housing Minister, said a lot of development went into the Bintangor area to make it part of the tourism centre of Kuching.
Among the efforts were the cleaning of the river and relocation of the Satok Market and Benteng Satok.
“It’s not just moving them; it’s also to find a more hygienic place to put it.
“We just received RM13 million from the federal government to upgrade Benteng Satok. We are building another bridge, the design resembles what you see in Putrajaya. After this, we will build a police station near it.”
He also urged the residents of Kampung Bintangor to tap into the potential of the new Hong Kong – Kuching direct flight route.
“Some of our visitors will want to live in a homestay. This is what you must develop so we can showcase the unique culture of the local Malays.”
Abang Johari added that he would continue developing the infrastructure here, but emphasised that change was up to the villagers here.
“This is all your work; I’m just a representative and I don’t have any power now. The power is in your hands on May 7,” he said.
Earlier on, Abang Johari planted a Calliandra Emarginata (Powder Puff) sapling at Jalan Patinggan and a Tecoma Stans (Yellow Bells) sapling at Jalan Muhibbah as part of the DBKU Tree Planting Programme and the ‘Rioh Nar Juak Eh! Kampung Bintangor Kecil’ carnival.
A total of 145 Powder Puff saplings will be planted at Jalan Patinggan while 66 Yellow Bells sapling will be planted at Jalan Muhibbah.
The carnival, held along the Kampung Bintangor Waterfront, included street soccer competitions, stalls, sport kite show, remote control boat race, archery exhibition and more.