By Marlynda Meraw and Ling Hui
KUCHING, June 5: The district of Bau is pursuing the construction of a friendship park to celebrate the rich historical heritage of the Chinese community which has been in Bau for the past 200 years, says Deputy Minister for Transport (Maritime and Riverine) Dato Henry Harry Jinep.
According to Harry, who is also Tasik Biru assemblyman, this year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China and it is appropriate to invite China to set up a park to commemorate the friendship in Bau.
“This (building a friendship park) is another way forward to create more landmarks in Bau. We (Sarawak) want to welcome all tourists. Let more Chinese come to Sarawak,” said Harry when met by reporters after a launching ceremony for a book titled “The Bau Miners Uprising in 1857” at Bau District Office today.
He also said that Bau is also looking to build a Hakka village, a plan which is included in a Greater Kuching Coordinated Development Agency (GKCDA) proposal.
“The Hakka village and friendship park are separate things, but we (Bau) will have them built near each other to ensure continuity of tourism products,” said Harry.
On June 9, Harry will lead a delegation to Sichuan, China on a work visit to study how China successfully transformed poverty-stricken communities into prosperous societies.
In conjunction with the trip, he said he would bring along copies of “The Bau Miners Uprising in 1857” to be gifted to China as a gesture of goodwill.
“The Bau Miners Uprising in 1857” penned by 82-year-old KC Jong, tells the story of 5,000 Hakka miners in Bau who took up arms against James Brooke on Feb 19, 1857.
The book also revealed the reasons behind the armed uprising, which in a nutshell, according to Jong, was to fight against colonialism and imperialism, as well as to protect the mining autonomy enjoyed by the Bau miners.
Meanwhile, at the same event, Harry distributed RM536,112 from his Minor Rural Project (MRP) allocation to 52 agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). — DayakDaily
