Abdul Karim (third, left) in a photo call with other officials who attended the event last night.
KUCHING (Jan 24): Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah is hoping that the construction of the State Wushu Training and Competition Centre in Petra Jaya will not be delayed anymore.
Abdul Karim said the construction of the centre was supposed to begin in February last year on a 3.1-acre site in the Sarawak State Sports Complex but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Now that the country is in Phase 4 of National Recovery Plan, he said any delay in the centre’s construction would show elements of bureaucracy.
“In this regard, I urge the responsible agencies including the Public Works Department (JKR) and Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) to speed up the construction process because we want everything involving the construction of the venue to be expedited.
“The site of the venue and provisions are already in place, just that there are other small things that need to be refined now,” he said during the Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC)/ Sarawak State Sports Council (MSNS) 2021 Appreciation Night event held at a local hotel here last night.
Thus, he said the construction of the centre will start this year and is expected to be completed within 24 months time.
According to Abdul Karim, the state government had approved the construction of the centre as an appreciation for the sport of wushu which has contributed a lot of gold medals in national and international level tournaments.
He said the wushu association which represents Sarawak is currently renting a place somewhere in the city, but after visiting the place, he knew the association needs a centre of their own.
“When I went to that place, it was sad to see the condition of their place. So, I think it is good for them to have their own building, ” he said.
On Nov 30, last year, Abdul Karim announced that the state government had approved the proposed construction of a Wushu Training and Competition Centre with an estimated cost of RM13.2 million.
On the awards night, Abdul Karim said, it was held to give recognition to those who have contributed to SSC and MSNS
“Today we celebrate a total of 39 recipients of the Outstanding Service Award (APC) and also, SSC and MSNS retirees for 2019 and 2020.
“Besides that, we also appreciate the former Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports, Datuk Snowdan Lawan and the former Chief Executive Officer of SSC, Dr Ong Kong Swee for their contributions over the years,” he added.
He hoped that the recognition received will inspire SSC and MSNS staff to continue to serve with more dedication, excellence and commitment.
Also present were two Assistant Ministers of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, namely Dato Gerald Rentap Jabu and Dr Ripin Lamat and the Acting Chief Executive Officer of SSC, Semawi Mohamad.