KUCHING: Sarawak will decide on the future use of the General Post Office (GPO) building here once it is returned to the state government, says Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
The state Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister said the building would no longer house the main post office but be used for other purposes.
"The state government will decide what we want to use it for.
"What we propose, whether it is an art or cultural gallery, restaurant or museum, will be decided after we get the building back," he told reporters after the full dress rehearsal for the Sarawak Day parade at Padang Merdeka here on Thursday (July 20).
Abdul Karim said the building would need to be restored or renovated for its future purpose.
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"We're happy that it will be given back to us because it is a heritage building," he added.
The GPO was built in 1931 under Sarawak's last Rajah, Charles Vyner Brooke, in a distinct neo-classical style featuring Corinthian columns and arches.
On Wednesday (July 19), Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg confirmed that the building was among 52 plots of land to be returned to Sarawak by the Federal Government.
It was agreed to return the land during the Malaysia Agreement 1963 technical committee meeting in Putrajaya on Tuesday (July 18).
Separately, Abdul Karim said Thursday's rehearsal went smoothly ahead of the Sarawak Day celebration on Saturday (July 22).
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He said the event, which commemorates Sarawak's 60th anniversary of independence, would begin with a parade at Padang Merdeka in the morning, followed by an investiture ceremony to award commemorative medals to recipients for their service to the state.
"A state dinner will be held at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly in the evening.
"At the same time, there will be a concert at Padang Merdeka with artists from Malaysia and Indonesia," he said, adding that the evening would end with a fireworks display.
