Tiang (third left) switches on the lights of the Taman Selera Muhibbah signboard to officially open the food court while (from fourth left) Ting, Yong and Bujang look on.
SIBU (March 18): The newly-rebuilt Taman Selera Muhibbah will be the new gourmet hotspot for Sibu folks and visitors from other areas.
Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government II Michael Tiang said the food court will provide a better environment for both customers and hawkers.
“When designing this place, we wanted it to be more open, airy and bright and provide all kinds of food to the people of Sibu and their friends.
“We want to make Taman Selera Muhibbah a new gourmet hotspot for Sibu. We want our friends from overseas to agree that it is of the standard of hawker centres in Singapore, if not better,” he said at the food court’s grand opening on Friday night.
Tiang, who is Pelawan assemblyman, said he was excited when Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting and his councillors proposed to rebuild the food court, as it would bring something new to the constituency.
He said that Ting and himself went to Singapore to learn and understand how the hawker centres there operate and to learn how to operate hawker centres in a more efficient and hygienic way.
Tiang also urged members of the public to get used to the new self-service system implemented by SMC.
“This is something new and is a good practice, so we need to get used to it. When we continue to use this new system, we will make it better and will attract our friends from overseas,” he said, adding that he believed that the food court will be more crowded once Ching Ming Festival rolls up.
Tiang also allocated RM50,000 to SMC to install CCTVs at the hawker centre.
Meanwhile, Ting in his speech said that the rebuilding, which cost RM3.83 million, was long overdue.
He said the project started on Nov 1, 2020 and Taman Selera Muhibbah now has 50 stalls, of which 33 are food stalls while the remaining 17 sell beverages.
“During the construction of this project, the hawkers moved to Jalan Tapang and business was very good. Now, the hawkers are back and business here is so much better than at Jalan Tapang.
“I hope with its new design, it will become a must-visit place in Sibu,” he said.
Also present were SMC deputy chairman Bujang Abdul Majid and acting secretary Yong Ing Chu.
