KUCHING, Feb 2 — Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg today clarified that the state government’s role in the hotly debated erection of Malaysia’s tallest flagpole was to identify a suitable site for it, and is uninvolved in its construction.

He said the construction of the 99-metre flagpole at a cost of RM30 million was proposed by the private sector to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Malaysia’s founding.

“We just helped them to identify the site. The flagpole is their proposal. That’s all,” he told reporters after chairing the state Cabinet meeting here.

He added that the money for the project is not from the government.

The government had identified the site for the flagpole to be built next to Fort Margherita in Petra Jaya and across the Sarawak River in the city. Abang Johari said the flagpole project will go ahead despite objections raised. State Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Karim Rahman Hamzah claimed the Opposition politicians kicked up a fuss over the flagpole project because they were out of fresh ideas.

He said the flagpole would be a new city landmark as well as a future tourist attraction and should be regarded as Sarawak’s pride.

“People will come over to the Kuching Waterfront and use it as a background for selfies and photographs,” he said. Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii called for transparency and urged the state government to disclose the companies that will undertake the project to dispel the perception that that the explanations were an afterthought following backlash.

He said it is important to ensure that no public funds would be used for the massive flagpole.

Parti Bumi Kenyalang president Voon Lee Shan rejected the assertion that the flagpole was a monument deserving of Sarawakian pride.

He said that the aim may be to commemorate Sarawak’s 60th anniversary as a party to the formation of Malaysia, but locals will likely see it as a reminder of how they had been shortchanged for decades over the state’s rights as enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/02/02/abang-johari-state-only-identified-site-for-nations-tallest-flagpole-not-building-it/53096