Abang Johari (right) receives a souvenir from Len Taliff (centre) while others look on. – Photo by Sarawak Public Communications Unit
BINTULU (June 21): The Sarawak government practices the Islamic concept of ‘muraqabah’ or mindfulness in its administration, which has allowed it to find solutions to every aspect of economic, social and other improvements, said Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
The state premier said based on this concept, one must be mindful or aware of what is happening around them.
“People must be mindful of their surroundings. Regardless of their background, based on this concept, we serve so that it can have an impact on their lifestyle,” he said.
He was speaking when officiating at the upgraded Al-Muttaqin Mosque in Sarikei today.
Also present were Deputy Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Datuk Len Talif Salleh; Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar; Sarikei MP Dato Sri Huang Tiong Sii; and Tanjong Manis MP Yusuf Abdul Wahab.
Abang Johari said if Muslims here understand the spirit of muraqabah, it is their responsibility to help both Muslims and non-Muslims.
He said the Sarawak government based on this concept not only focused on the welfare of Muslims but also the non-Muslims by establishing the Unit for Other Religions (Unifor).
“In religion, you cannot be too extreme, you must be moderate, balanced between nature and us,” he said, referring to environmental destruction due to climate change.
He said environmental destruction was created by the humans themselves because they were not mindful of the effect, and were too extreme to develop.
In line with this mindfulness spirit, he said the Sarawak government is now emphasising on environmentally friendly approach to development by utilising green energy via new technology to produce hydrogen including solar power.
He added that by adhering to this muraqabah concept, assistance could be given fairly to all people regardless of their race and religion and this would contribute to greater understanding and unity.
“As a leader, we can be more focused without fear of betrayal, we look forward to Sarawak becoming a developed region by 2030,” he said.
Commenting on the upgraded RM9.5 million Al-Muttaqin Mosque, Abang Johari recalled when he visited the old mosque here in 2019, when it was in poor and dilapidated condition.
Because of that, he had decided for a major upgrade of the mosque for more convenience to Muslims in Sarikei.
He said the state government is committed to focus on rural development by implementing various infrastructure projects such as bridges, roads, water and electricity.
He also urged the people, especially modern farmers, to embrace new technology to maximise the yield of their crops, for example by planting rice and other high-value crops.
During the event, Abang Johari also announced an additional allocation of RM1.5 million for the upgrading of the mosque’s fence.
Meanwhile, Len Talif, who is also Sarikei Islamic Welfare Board chairman, thanked Abang Johari for the allocation to upgrade the mosque.
“The Al-Muttaqin Mosque was built in 1983 and at that time it could only accommodate 1,000 worshippers at a time.
“After the upgrade, it is able to accommodate 2,500 people and is expected to meet the needs of the Sarikei community for many years to come,” he said.
He said the upgrading work was carried out in two phases. The first phase, which involved the upgrading of the hall adjacent to the mosque started on November 20, 2020, was expected to complete on May 30, 2021.
But due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Movement Control Order (MCO), the completion date was delayed to May 1, 2022.
Phase 2 started on May 1, 2022 and was completed on May 30, 2023.
“In the implementation of the improvement of this project, there are many unforeseen discoveries that involve additional costs such as the new Alam dome, sewerage system and others, so all these improvement works were only completed on May 31, 2024 without any addition to the original cost, except for new scope and variation order (VO) amounting to RM754,619.
“The construction contract cost to date is RM7,746,235.69,” said Len Talif, adding that the cost of consultancy, site management and supervision is RM1,518,531.73.
This, he explained, brought the total cost of the mosque’s upgrading project to RM9,264,765.73, with a balance of RM235,234.27 from the RM9,500,000 allocation approved by Abang Johari back in 2019.
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