KUCHING: Despite being a rather small kampung (village) of about 290 residents or 71 families, Kampung Badul in Singai, Bau holds great potential.
Tasik Biru assemblyman Datuk Henry Harry Jinep called it a kampung which is united for a purpose when officiating at the Kampung Badul Weekend Market and launching of Kampung Badul logo at Badul Homestay, yesterday.
He commended the entrepreneurial spirit of the villagers in establishing the Kampung Badul Weekend Market, saying, “I believe the passion to do business is always there in the kampung people.”
“We can start to see activities cropping up here. These will bring socio-economic benefits while also contributing to the local tourism,” he said in his speech.
Henry also encouraged the use of fertile land in the Singai, Bau region, which would be very suitable for the planting of cash crops as well as fruit trees such as durian.
“The issue now is the commercialisation of these crops, planting is not a problem at all for the people here,” he pointed out.
However, he believed this would be less of a challenge as progress is made with the construction of new roads and as new lands are made available. He sounded his hope that more people would visit Kampung Badul to enjoy all that it has to offer.
According to Kampung Badul village chief Jetri Suing, the Kampung Badul Weekend Market began its operations yesterday, and it would be held every Saturday at the Badul Homestay premises.
“It is an opportunity for locals here to market their goods such as vegetables that they grow, handicrafts, and so on,” Jetri said.
He hoped that the infrastructure of Kampung Badul, which was only established in 2016, would be improved over time.
Speaking of the launch of Kampung Badul logo, Jetri revealed that six logos were submitted in a logo design competition from April 1 to 26 this year. The designs were creative efforts of the villagers themselves.
The final logo that was selected was described as very meaningful as it integrated illustrations, shapes and colours that represented Kampung Badul.
For example, the paddy plant that is part of the logo is the main crop of the residents of Kampung Badul, while the longhouse is a symbol of early settlement at Mount Singai.
During the ceremony, Henry and other guests of honour planted saplings of the ruffled fan palm or Licuala grandis, a plant that can be found in the Singai area.
