TUARAN, Feb 28 — The government has approved an allocation of RM2.2 million this year to develop two projects aimed at preserving and protecting Sabah’s cultural heritage, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

He said the two projects were approved under the Mid-Term Review of the 12th Malaysia Plan.

They comprised the implementation of the Sabah Integrated Cultural Mapping System Development project, costing RM2 million, while the remaining RM200,00 is for a study on the restoration of the Bangunan Pejabat Lama Pejabat Perkhidmatan Kebajikan, he said.

Hajiji said the mapping project aims to transform the management of information on Sabah’s ethnic culture into a modern information system in line with the Government’s Digitalisation Plan.

“The study will witness the restoration of the historic building — the British North Borneo Chartered Company Office which was destroyed by fire,” he said when opening the Rumpun Bajausama Sabah Cultural Festival here today.

Both the projects would be handled by the Sabah Cultural Board, he said, adding that the government implemented various efforts to achieve the target of getting three million tourist arrivals in the state this year.

In addition to the state’s arts and culture, Hajiji said, Community-Based Tourism is also a segment of ecotourism that is increasingly receiving attention from various levels of the local and international community.

Therefore, the Chief Minister urged associations representing the various ethnicities to continue to develop and dignify their respective culture and community-based tourism products.

Regarding the festival, held since last Sunday, Hajiji who is also the president of the Sabah Rumpun Bajausama Association, hoped that it could be a platform for the conservation of the state’s culture, as well as a medium to attract the interest of the young generation to get involved in various artistic and ethnic cultural events.

“It is also to preserve and dignify the state’s culture and tradition, as well as strengthen ties among the local population. “

This festival, which has already been included in the tourism calendar, is not only attended by the Bajausama group but also enlivened by all levels of the multi-racial and ethnic community in the state,” he said. — Bernama