BAU: Serumbu constituency has great tourism and agricultural potential if seriously and properly developed.
Its assemblyman Miro Simbuh said this is because Serumbu has plenty of tourism products and interesting destinations for eco-tourism.
He said the already popular Siniawan Bazaar, which was once a sleepy town, is now a vibrant place visited by about 3,000 people including foreign tourists each weekend.
“Following various efforts including the Siniawan Festival held since 2016 we have been able to transform Siniawan Bazaar, which is already more than 100 years old, into a popular tourist destination,” said Miro at a belated Chinese New Year dinner at Siniawan Community Hall here on Wednesday.
“We have a Buddhist village here with a pagoda and the biggest copper bell in Malaysia. We also have Mount Serumbu with its awesome legend. The site of Rajah Brooke’s cottage is also there,” he said.
Miro revealed that some federal funds were allocated for the development of facilities at Mount Serumbu and Siniawan Bazaar, but he does not know what has happened to the funds after the change in federal government.
“The project should have started last year but when the federal government changed the fund disappeared somewhere,” he said.
Thus, he hoped the state government would provide an alternative fund so that the project could be implemented.
“Siniawan bazaar is able to attract local and foreign tourists,” he said, adding that tourism-related activities have become part of the local people’s income.
The weekend food street offers various types of local food and is definitely a must-visit for foodies and casual visitors.
Located about 21 kilometres out of Kuching or about thirty minutes’ drive, Siniawan used to be a thriving trading town but business declined when the Kuching-Bau road by-passed it by a few hundred metres.
The Siniawan business community had to come up with a new business model and so they organise the weekend night food market.
They tried it starting in 2010 and it became a hit with the locals and soon made its way into various tour itineraries from Kuching.
The night market operates from 6pm to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 5pm to 11pm on Sundays.
Besides its historical value and tourist attractions, Siniawan is also known for its peacefulness and social harmony.
“There has been no quarrel among us. We – the Bidayuh, Chinese and Malays – live harmoniously.”
