KUCHING: The Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts and Sarawak Museum Department will decide what is next for Darul Kurnia, the current building that houses Chung Hua Middle School No.4 (CHMS No. 4) at Jalan Haji Taha here.
Its minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said no discussion has been held to decide on the subject matter yet, however, the ministry definitely will not refer to the DAP for an opinion.
“So far, we have yet to discuss anything yet,” he told New Sarawak Tribune when contacted today (Mar 1).
Abdul Karim was referring to DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen’s assistant Soo Tien Ren, who proposed that instead of arbitrarily converting the current site of Chung Hua Middle School No. 4 to be a single-cultural museum, it should be redeveloped into and renamed as the Kuching Historical Museum.
“So, I am surprised why YB Chong’s assistant suddenly has an interest in historical sites and even goes so far as to make a suggestion on how this historical site should be named,” Abdul Karim added.
Recently, the Sarawak government has earmarked eight acres of land and RM20 million in funds for CHMS No. 4 for the new school building.
This was following the agreement by the Sarawak Private Chinese Secondary Schools Charitable Trust to return the building to the state government in exchange for the construction of a new school.
It was previously reported that the existing building used by CHMS No.4 will be turned into a heritage area, as the building was owned and built by Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Abdillah, a patriot of Sarawak’s independence who is also well-known as a leader of the Anti-Cession Movement against the British Empire.
With Hikmah Exchange set to become Sarawak’s first smart building, Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg believes that turning the historic building into a heritage area will further strengthen the preservation of the land from being eroded by rapid development.
