Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg outlined the proposal at the Sarawak Urban Forum at Hikmah Exchange Event Centre in Kuching on Oct 26, DayakDaily reported. The forum venue is not the location of the proposed green space.

He described the Samarahan area as twice the size of London’s Hyde Park and said it would be planted with native tree species. The comparison was his description of the plan, not an announced surveyed acreage.

The state intends to gazette the land so future development does not encroach on it. This is a land-protection proposal, rather than an announcement that a new park has opened or that legal protection is already in force.

Abang Johari linked the need for public green space to smaller urban homes and families seeking places to spend time together. For residents, the consequential steps are the formal land designation and details of public access; his remarks did not set an opening date.