KOTA SAMARAHAN: Local residents here are hoping for more development in tandem with its upgrade into a municipality.
They also want the Kota Samarahan Municipal Council to focus on providing better infrastructure such as roads and other facilities to be on a par with Kuching city.
New Sarawak Tribune interviewed several residents of Kota Samarahan to get their opinion and what development the public want for the area.
Fifi Emilly, 20, a salesperson at a watch outlet said while there are developments in Kota Samarahan, it is still considered ‘undeveloped’.
“Even though there are two shopping malls and three university campuses here, it is still not enough.
“The main problem that everyone in Samarahan is facing now is the daily traffic jam on our roads,” she told New Sarawak Tribune.
Fifi added that building shopping malls and shoplots isn’t enough to live up to the ‘Kota’ status, as Samarahan perhaps will only be known for being ‘Desa Ilmu’ due to its public institutions.
Nazieha Natasha, 20, an employee at a snacks and drinks kiosk, also a resident of Kota Samarahan shared the same opinion.
She said that the roads here should live up the ‘highway’ and ‘expressway’ status which were showed on Google Maps.
“It is said ‘Kuching-Samarahan Highway’ and ‘Kuching-Samarahan Expressway’, but in reality, the roads here do not fit the name at all.”
Kamaluddin Hamid, 51, a fruit trader said the Kota Samarahan Municipal Council should consider building a place for traders, like a market in the middle of Kota Samarahan.
“I chose to trade here (at Aiman Mall) because there isn’t any proper place provided for us, even if there is, it is too far,” he said.
Felicia Jahot, 38, a vegetable trader. urged the council and Samarahan MP to seriously look into the development of roads in order to ease the daily traffic jams.
“I feel pity for those who have to commute daily to Kuching for work,” she said.
