Sagah (standing centre) with the villagers and committee members in a photocall.
KUCHING: Assistant Minister of Native Land Development Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn on Saturday suggested that the Bisapug association set up a handicraft centre to promote local handicrafts and increase the socio economy of the people in the area.
Sagah pointed out that the Bidayuh Bisapug villages — Kpg Sarig, Kpg Simpok and Kpg Mundai — are located within greater Kuching city and could become a tourist attraction.
“I see great potential in the development of local handicrafts of the Bisapug community. It will benefit the locals if a handicraft centre can be built to sell the products to tourists,” Sagah pointed out when officiating the Bung Brunggu Heritage Trail Climbathon 2019 at Kpg Sarig in Padawan.
Sagah, who is Tarat assemblyman, said the Bidayuhs should think of ways to generate income for the village and themselves, adding that there were many attractive places to be developed and promoted to tourists.
“Bidayuhs cannot be too generous anymore when it comes to generating income, although the fees and prices should not be exorbitant … so it is high time to think of economy and not about generosity,” he said.
He believed that every Bisapug village has its own specialty that should be developed, nurtured and promoted.
“We need to look for ideas of having something special to promote the particular place to attract tourists,” he stressed.
Sagah also said that he was attracted by the traditional performance of the Bisapug which was alive and should be preserved.
[Source: “‘Promote Bisapug villages, handicraft, culture to tourists’” published by BorneoPost Online]Photo Credits: BorneoPost Online
