SRI AMAN: The Sarawak Government has proposed that St Paul’s Anglican Church in Banting, Lingga, be gazetted as a heritage site under the Sarawak Heritage Ordinance 2019 to ensure the state’s historical treasures are preserved for future generations.
Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datuk Snowdan Lawan, said the church, built in 1859, possesses significant historical and heritage value and deserves official recognition to guarantee its continued conservation and protection.
The Balai Ringin assemblyman said gazetting the church under the Sarawak Heritage Ordinance 2019 would protect it from uncontrolled development while strengthening the cultural identity of the local community and enriching the state’s heritage assets.
“The initiative will also provide opportunities for the local community to be directly involved in heritage conservation and preservation efforts, while raising public awareness on the importance of safeguarding historical treasures,” he said when officiating at the ‘Merarau Ngiling Tikai Gawai Dayak’ celebration for Pantu District at Sri Aman Civic Centre on Thursday (June 25).
However, he noted that the gazettement process could only proceed after obtaining consent from the Anglican Church, particularly the Bishop of the Anglican Church in Sarawak and Brunei.
At the same event, Snowdan announced an allocation of RM20,000 to the Pantu District Office to support community and cultural programmes.
Meanwhile, Sri Aman Member of Parliament, Datuk Seri Doris Sophia Brodi, through her representative, contributed RM10,000 towards the event.
Also present were Sri Aman Division Resident, Mahra Salleh; Pantu District Officer, Raca Mulong; Sri Aman District Police Chief, Supt Dennis Bunyam; representative of Sri Aman District Officer, Joshua Martin Jantan; and representative of Lingga District Officer, Nurshazani Fadli Salihin.
