KUCHING: The Kampung Masjid Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) is seeking help to revive the village which lies smack in the city centre.
In an interview with New Sarawak Tribune, village folk revealed that the abandoned shoplots at Kampung Bintangor Kecil have been the refuge of vagrants and vagabonds.
This has become a concern to the local community who wants to clean the area to make it attractive to everybody.
Besides, folk are worried by the rise in the dengue cases of late.
Penghulu Iskandar Landau and Kampung Masjid JKKK secretary Norman Putit suggested that the shoplots be bought over by the local community association and turned into a community area.
“There’s a lot that can be done such as a lodging house (Rumah Singgah Kejap) for out-of-towners to visit loved ones at nearby Sarawak General Hospital.”
Another suggestion was to relocate the Central Police Station at Padang Merdeka to the shoplots.
“The current station could be turned into a police museum,” he said.
The Kampung Masjid JKKK said they would also like to address the problem of abandoned or dilapidated houses in the area.
“There are a total of six houses here that could be rented out and taken over by the local kampung cooperative like Kampung No. 5.
“By taking over and giving the owners a guaranteed income of say RM1,000 monthly, they can maintain and lease it back as homestays, with spill-over effects for our community – cleaning, transport and tourist guides for the backpackers,” he pointed out.
The Kampung Masjid JKKK also shared their plan to liven up the Tebingan (waterfront) Kampung Masjid, which Iskandar reckoned should be called either “The Undertaker Walk or Graveyard Walk” — a cycling route popular with tourists and the local community alike.
“This route will link the waterfront to the kampung in the city area, which is rich with historical value and the birth place of many well-known people of Kuching.”
