Bajau Cultural Centre to be ready in Aug
Published on: Saturday, June 06, 2020
By: R Gonzales
Tangau and others visiting the project site of the Bajau Sama Cultural Centre at Kg Lok Batik, Tuaran.
Tuaran: The issue of construction of RM7 million Bajau Sama Cultural Centre which was claimed by certain quarters as a “white elephant” project at Kg Lok Batik, Jalan Sulaman, here, is now resolved. It is expected to be completed in August this year.Deputy Chief Minister cum Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau said he held discussions with various agencies, including the contractor concerned, to resolve issues related to the project.
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Among the agencies, he said, were the Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry (Kepkas), Sabah Cultural Board and Tuaran District Office.
“Holding discussions is imperative to ensure completion of the project in accordance with its schedule, as well as to expedite the approval process for its Development Plan (DP).
“What’s important is fulfilling the objective of building the centre, which is to promote the art and culture of the Bajau Sama ethnic group,” he said during a visit to the project site with representatives from the involved agencies, on Thursday.
Also present were Kepkas Permanent Secretary Dr Jamilu Nais, Sabah Cultural Board General Manager Mansur Asun and Tuaran District Officer Mohd Sofian Alfian Nair.
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On May 27, Daily Express reported that the Bajau Sama Cultural Centre built with a State Government allocation of RM7 million is almost completed and the 1.4-hectare site was handed over to the contractor to build the centre on May 19, 2017.
The project was scheduled for completion in 24 months, on May 16 last year.
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Sabah Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor, who was State Local Government and Housing Minister, had announced in January 2017 that the cultural centre, once completed, would become an iconic location for various activities of the community.
Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, who was State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, allocated RM7 million to build the centre.
It was further reported that the project has emerged that it was built without the DP approval and that the land on which it sits does not have a title.
Hence, the Occupation Certificate (OC) has yet to be issued and utilities such as water and electricity could not be connected to the centre.
According to a Tuaran District Council official, the DP could not be approved as the status of the land is still under Land Application (LA).
Tangau said the project to build the centre was delayed due to compliance with the Movement Control Order (MCO), as well as the difficulty of the developer in obtaining construction materials last year from its sources such as sand and so on.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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