By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, June 21: Phase 2 of the Kampung Tambirat Waterfront project in Asajaya has been given the green light to proceed, with the Sarawak government completely overhauling its contractor selection process to avoid the bidding flaws that derailed the stalled first phase.
Sarawak Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah confirmed that Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has granted clearance for Phase 2—the longer stretch of the waterfront—to take off immediately to ensure the local community gets its facility.
However, he warned that the State government is aggressively tightening its vetting process for this new phase, actively considering bypassing open tenders to ensure only highly capable builders are selected.
“The Premier has given his clearance for it to be initiated, and we will look into that.
“But we will be far more vigilant because we do not want what happened in Phase 1 to happen again,” he told reporters after attending the closing ceremony and prize presentation of Sarawak Youth Business Idea Competition (SaYBIC) 2025/2026 held at the Sarawak Sports Village (SSV) in Petra Jaya today.
Abdul Karim, who is also the Asajaya assemblyman, admitted that while he normally advocates for open tenders, the system creates severe vulnerabilities when competing companies aggressively undercut each other on paper just to secure the award.
“For Phase 2, we will study whether we go into open tender or not. Sometimes the problem with open tenders is that when everyone starts pressing the price down, we take the lowest bidder, and that ultimately compromises the execution on the ground.
“This time, we would prefer a reputable contractor—one that already possesses the right equipment, solid financial strength, and the proven technical expertise required to handle a waterfront project of this scale,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the stalled Phase 1 project—which suffered a partial structural collapse just four months before its scheduled completion—is currently being handled through regulatory and legal channels.
The update comes as the structural failure findings, which have delayed the project, are currently under review by the Sarawak Attorney General’s Chambers (SAG). Abdul Karim indicated that the matter is highly sensitive and likely bound for a legal dispute.
“The view from my side is that the Phase 1 project will likely head into legal action. The Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) has to go into either legal proceedings or a salvage operation,” he stated.
While acknowledging that investigations appear to point to negligence and miscalculation by certain parties involved in handling the structural work, the Minister declined to elaborate on specific operational failures to protect the integrity of future legal actions.
“We cannot reveal the details down here, partly because this might be a legal matter, and I do not want to say things that might affect the parties involved,” he noted.
Abdul Karim further appealed to Kampung Tambirat residents to remain patient, noting that the popular Tambirat Regatta remains shelved purely because the current layout is physically unsafe until the waterfront infrastructure is fully resolved.
“Once the waterfront is finished, there is so much we can do for the community, including reviving the regatta. We just need the site to be fully ready and safe,” he stressed.
The Kampung Tambirat Waterfront development project in Asajaya was originally planned across two phases to serve as a major public socio-economic and recreational hub.
Phase 1 of the development, valued at RM20 million, was designed to include initial retaining structures and a dual-facing public pavilion tailored to provide a permanent home for the biennial Regatta Tambirat. However, the first phase was halted after a critical section suffered a structural collapse just four months before its scheduled completion.
The newly decoupled Phase 2 spans a much larger 1.2-kilometre stretch from the edge of the first phase to the end of Kampung Tambirat. Backed by a RM150 million allocation approved by the Sarawak Premier, the expanded phase aims to feature extensive public spaces and youth recreational facilities to fully support regional regatta events once independent construction begins under a revamped procurement strategy. — DayakDaily
