By Anthony Dylan Anak Frankie Jurem
I went back to Kuching on the 18th of December 2024. We took a flight from KLIA T1 with Malaysia Airlines. This was the 2nd time I had experienced a situation where an operational issue delayed departure by 1 hour. This is far too many for my experience using Malaysia Airlines. There should not be any excuses for whatever issues one can make. It is expected that operations and technical checks be made so that flights can leave on time. Consistency in adhering to schedule is why I do not fly AirAsia or Batik Air often. Nevertheless, we reached Kuching on a rainy day and the weather did not seem to get better heading towards Christmas eve.
Kuching has changed quite a bit this year. I made a few trips back for family matters and have seen how fast progress had been made. The Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) project by the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) is beginning to take shape for Phase 1. This is evident from the major works seen on the roads.
The Red line would take one from the Kuching Sentral Bus Station with a stop at the Kuching International Airport and onwards Pending. It also has an interchange with a Blue Line which would cover VivaCity Megamall, The Spring, Summer Mall, the Sarawak Heart Centre and even the Sarawak General Hospital. There is also a Green line which takes you to the Stadium and Damai Central which is near the Sarawak Cultural Village. Services will start in phases from Q4 of 2025.
Public transport is now undertaken by stage buses and the electric buses. The electric buses by Kuching Metro are free. The routes bring you to the Semenggoh Orang Utan area and on the opposite end of Sarawak Legislative Assembly. Currently, the Hydrogen run bus trials are still ongoing with trips on the Damai Loop and the Heritage Loop from Fridays through Sundays. The trips are limited though. In the future, all feeder buses to the new ART system will be hydrogen buses.
Another thing I saw was the implementation of the new SMART AI traffic light system around the city. This would enable license plate recognition, vehicle classification, on road vehicle classification, obstruction detection and vehicle counting. This would have machine learning capabilities.
To be honest, many offices and shopping centres in Kuching especially have adopted the Pay n Go car park payment system. This utilizes the license plate recognition software. They are not the only ones as the wet markets have also the Kuching City Parking System. This utilizes the license plate recognition system too. What is left now is the street parking system which still uses coupons.
Sarawak Pay is now Spay Global and is now able to scan and pay anything with Duit Now QR codes. It already has a Union Pay Card feature free of charge and can be used where Union Pay QR is present. I have not used the global feature yet, so I am not able to say if it works. Otherwise, Duit Now works even in the Klang Valley for Sarawak Pay. Union Pay also works in the Peninsula. Spay Global is a Sarawak Government Fintech mobile app platform.
Sarawak has also introduced a Sarawak ID and is beneficial for those wanting to register for the Sarawak Government initiatives. One of which is the Kenyalang Gold Card which is free for any Sarawakian reaching 60 years of age. This would provide access to discounts and more benefits which include healthcare, pharmacies, tourist attractions and nearly all major supermarkets.
There is also an endowment fund of RM1,000 for each child born and RM450 for each mother for each Sarawakian since 2019 and 2020, respectively. Regardless of status and ethnicity. All Sarawak students studying in institutions of higher learning would also receive RM1,200 per year regardless of status this year onwards. Sarawak would also proceed with the Dual Language Programme (DLP) Standard Assessments for Year 6 and Form 3 students to evaluate their academic performance.
In 2026, the Sarawak Free Education initiative would encompass selected courses in science and technology at these institutions. The institutions are Curtin University Malaysia in Miri, Swinburne University of Technology in Kuching, University of Technology in Sibu, I-CATS University College in Kuching, and the Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak in Kuching.
Kuching has changed so much in such a fleeting time. I am glad. I also got to witness the incredible food and beverage business which is on par with any good ones outside Sarawak. Home grown Peanuts and Anchovies, Earthlings Coffee and Roasters, Elementary Coffee Roasters, Black Bean, Hup Ho Trading (Padungan Coffee Bar), Super Tasty Big Vege Café and Rice King are just a few. Coffee has been the most inspiring as you can also find Kura Kura Coffee at Jak Maan. The Liberica Beans are grown in Kampung Semadang. Black Bean also does Liberica and Earthling / Elementary takes the blends to another level with a mix of Robusta and Arabica.
This Christmas, I was also blessed to be able to witness the last morning mass at St Peter’s Catholic Church on 22nd December 2024 before all masses are moved to the new St Peter’s Catholic Church about 100 meters away. The old church was completed on 18th December 1949 and saw extensions in 1969. Renovations were done in 1999 and the last one in 2005.
The first mass was held for the Christmas Eve Midnight Service on the 24th of December 2024. The queue was extraordinarily long and well planned for entry. As we took photos on the said night, we decided to attend the first morning mass on Christmas Day at 730am. The church is magnificent.
A few days before, on Friday 20th December 2024, we were invited to have a sneak peek after the 730pm evening mass. We were awed by its beauty. The church is also beside the columbarium where my father is. The church has a special meaning for me as this was where my parents got married and where I had my catechism lading to the baptism and first holy communion.
From Kuching, I would like to wish all readers a Happy New Year and a Blessed Chinese New Year on 29th January 2025.
