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- Local youngsters try the ‘tibau’ or traditional Melanau giant swing at the site of the Kaul Festival.
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- Abang Johari (third right) exchanges greetings with the local people on his arrival at the Kaul Festival site as Dr Leo (second right) looks on.
MUKAH: Mukah can be Sarawak’s version of Cannes in France if marketed properly for its tourism traits.
In saying this, Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg stated that Cannes, now famed worldwide for its filming location, was just a small town with a population of only 70,000.
“It is my hope that Mukah with about the same population as Cannes added with good infrastructure and environment can be marketed like Cannes. This is my hope but I need the cooperation of all stages because we can attract tourists to come to Mukah through our cultural heritage that we have here,” he said when officiating at the closing of the 17th Kaul Festival here on Sunday.
His wife Datin Amar Datuk Juma’ani Tun Tuanku Bujang, Minister of Welfare, Women and Community Wellbeing Datuk Fatimah Abdullah, Assistant Minister for Urbanisation Datuk Talib Zulpilip, Assistant Minister of Environment Datu Len Talif Salleh, Mukah MP Dato Sri Dr Muhammad Leo Toyad, Balingian assemblyman Abdul Yakub Arbi, Telian assemblyman Yussibnosh Balo and Jemoreng assemblyman Datuk Dr Juanda Jaya were present.
Abang Johari had earlier said that Kaul Festival was a celebration that was well-received by the local community; thus the organisers have to improve from year to year because the annual cultural event cannot be seen anywhere else but in Sarawak, particularly in Mukah.
For this reason, he said the government will continue to develop tourism products in Mukah for the town to flourish as a smart city with high speed Internet connectivity in order to promote it to the world.
He also said he would try to get an airport for Mukah.
“The earth-filing process was done at the identified site for the airport. What’s left now is to build the runway and airport terminal. Mukah has a very good hinterland and definitely we can tap its potential as had been inspired by the Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud if we can provide good infrastructure.
“As the chief minister, I will continue efforts by the Head of State in terms of development for Mukah. I believe the local community and Sarawakians as a whole will benefit from development that we have planned for Mukah and its surrounding areas,” he said.