KUCHING: The new headquarters of the Malaysian Scout Association Sarawak Branch located in Batu Lintang will become a landmark for scout associations nationwide.

This was explained by Sarawak Scout Council Vice President Jumaat Ibrahim while revealing that construction work on the new headquarters is expected to begin within a year.

According to him, currently, his party is still waiting for approval from the state government before construction work begins.

"We plan to build a new headquarters that will become a landmark for Sarawak Scouts in the future, where the design is amazing and will inspire the spirit of scout children throughout Sarawak.

"Various activities and facilities will be provided to train and teach Sarawak children in the future, how to live in a multi-racial residence, live independently in a healthy and clean way."

Jumaat said this when met by the media during his Aidilfitri Open House organised in Kuching on Friday night.

Asked about the design of the building, he, who is also a member of the National Executive Council, remained secretive because he wanted to give the public a 'surprise'.

However, he said that the architecture of the building would be different from any other scout headquarters in Malaysia.

"I would not be surprised if it would become a scouting landmark in Malaysia.

"We will have a 'camping site' there in the middle of the city, along with our headquarters in Batu Lintang," he added.

For the record, the headquarters building of the Malaysian Scout Association Sarawak Branch was almost completely destroyed in a fire that occurred on February 6, 2024.

Based on the latest statistics, there are approximately 45,000 registered and unregistered scout members in Sarawak.

Meanwhile, Jumaat's open house was further enlivened by the presence of a Scout delegation from Taiwan led by Stanley Lee.

According to Jumaat, their arrival was intended to see for themselves the harmony of the multi-racial and multi-religious community in Sarawak during the festival and to gain a deeper understanding of the culture in Malaysia, especially in this state.

“They came to see what the Sarawak Scouts often preach, where we are very harmonious here.

“How can communities from different races and religions come together to celebrate Aidilfitri, Chinese New Year and other festivals?

“Sarawak is the best example because we live in multiple races and religions, regardless of skin color, in peace, harmony and cooperation,” said Jumaat.

He added that the strong unity demonstrated by the multi-racial community in Sarawak during the festival has become a model for other states, even outsiders.

Apart from family members and close friends, several martial arts associations here were also present to enliven Jumaat’s open house.-UKASnews