KUCHING: The upgrading of Siburan from a sub-district to a full district will drive its development to even greater heights and also contribute to the progress of this city, which is its immediate neighbour.
“We are very thankful to Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg for having approved the upgrade,” said Mambong incumbent Datuk Dr Jerip Susil.
Abang Johari announced the change when he launched Serian Division Administrative Centre recently
Jerip recalled that when he was first elected in 2001, Siburan – which is within his constituency – was a small town with very few business activities.
“So I was thinking about how to build Siburan up into a town which can be supportive of businesses. Many of the young people had migrated to Singapore and Brunei to look for jobs.
“The first thing I did was to increase the population in Siburan. I discussed various possibilities of developers coming in and they were quite willing,” he said in a recent exclusive interview.
He said the first residential area there was Taman Duranda Emas followed by another large private housing project which comprised low- to medium-cost housing.
“The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) also built one very large low-cost flat there in Batu Gong, consisting of 500 units. All this increased the population mass in Siburan,” he said.
With this rise in population, he said there was a business boom in Siburan, which then led to issues such as water and electricity supply.
“These are good problems because they are a good sign that there are a lot of business activities going on – Siburan has become a booming town,” said Jerip.
To resolve the water supply issue arising from the increased population, he said there was now a water booster pump in Siburan.
He said he had also constructed a mini stadium and sports complex in Siburan.
“Another idea is about healthcare. There is one very old clinic and so we applied for a Type 3 clinic to include a doctor, pharmacist, and dentist. Now it is under construction.
“We plan to look into a district hospital in Siburan. We already have one in Serian itself, but would want a general hospital which is near to Kuching and Kota Samarahan so that Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) can be decongested,” he said.
Describing Siburan as a Kuching satellite town within Serian Division, he said Siburan was also a potential food basket for Kuching and Kota Samarahan.
“Many people in Siburan are doing farming – producing vegetables, chickens, and other farm products for the nearby towns,” he said.
He noted that there were also plans to set up the Autonomous Rail Transit (ART) from Kota Samarahan passing through Siburan to Serian. With this, he said Siburan would be very well connected.
“With that, we will look into the socio-economic development of the people and there is a lot of demand for commercial shophouses and housing in Siburan,” said Jerip.
