By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Oct 29: Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) plans to expand its Sister City network beyond Pontianak to four other major cities across Indonesia’s Kalimantan region, with official discussions expected to begin soon.
According to a TVS report, caretaker Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Project Coordinator for Regional Development Agencies, DBKU and Islamic Affairs) Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi said the initiative aims to strengthen Sarawak’s diplomatic, socioeconomic and cultural ties with its neighbours in Borneo.
He said DBKU officers are expected to visit the identified cities to initiate formal discussions, building on the existing Sister City cooperation between DBKU and Pontianak.
The proposed expansion covers Palangkaraya, Tanjung Selor, Samarinda and Banjarmasin.
“I was previously informed that DBKU already has a Sister City partnership with Pontianak. Given that there are other cities in Kalimantan, we intend to continue discussions to expand this network.
“I will discuss with the mayor, director and DBKU management on sending our officers to cities across the five provinces in Kalimantan in the future,” he said when speaking to reporters after receiving a delegation from the Borneo Cities Quran Recitation Assembly at DBKU here today.
Abdul Rahman said the partnerships could facilitate the sharing of expertise and experience in various aspects of city administration, including urban planning, tourism development and cultural exchange programmes.
He added that the initiative is expected to strengthen ties between Sarawak and Kalimantan while supporting cross-border development and cooperation across Borneo. —DayakDaily
