The conversion of the old State Legislative Assembly (DUN) building in Petra Jaya into the Sarawak Performing Arts Centre is 46 per cent complete and 1.6 per cent ahead of schedule, Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, the state minister responsible for tourism and the arts, said after a site visit on Friday, according to the state's communications unit, UKAS. Briefings from JKR Sarawak and the consultants put completion at June 2027, provided nothing intervenes.

That date matters because the SEA Games follow in September 2027. The minister said a June finish would let the state stage cultural performances at the centre for visitors and ASEAN heads of state during the Games (UKAS). The site is in the Kuching division.

Where the work stands in October 2026

According to the minister, most of the major and more demanding work is finished, and the project has moved on to finishing works and interior design (UKAS). He also credited JKR Sarawak, the contractors' consortium and the consultants with keeping a record of zero accidents on site.

The figures reported at each official site visit show steady progress:

  • 27 February 2026: 29 per cent complete, about one to two per cent ahead of plan, on information from JKR and the developer (UKAS).
  • 3 May 2026: expected to finish in the second quarter of 2027. On this occasion the minister acknowledged a slight delay against the original schedule but said he was satisfied with progress (UKAS).
  • 2 October 2026: 46 per cent complete and 1.6 per cent ahead of schedule, due June 2027 (UKAS).

The official accounts therefore differ on whether the project was behind or ahead of its original plan in early 2026, and neither explains the difference.

How the completion date has moved

The target has shifted since the site was handed over. In April 2024 the minister said the contractor would take over on 2 May 2024 and needed about two and a half years to finish (Premier's Department). At the handover itself, the Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg, said completion was expected by 2027 (Premier's Department). In November 2025 the minister spoke of the end of 2026 or early 2027 (UKAS). Since May 2026 the official figure has been the second quarter of 2027, now stated as June.

What the project costs, by each official account

The published cost has risen as the scope has been set out, and the official figures have not been reconciled with one another:

  • April 2024: more than RM100 million for renovating the DUN building and the neighbouring Lapau building, to be met entirely by the Sarawak government (Premier's Department).
  • May 2024: about RM200 million for building works and about RM60 million for landscape upgrading, according to the Premier (Premier's Department).
  • February 2026: a project value of RM247 million, covering the old DUN building and additional components including the Lapau (UKAS).

The April 2024 statement said four companies would be involved in the work (Premier's Department).

What the complex will contain

The minister described three main components (UKAS):

  1. The performing arts centre itself, in the old DUN building, with about 600 seats (UKAS).
  2. The Old Lapau, which is to become a restaurant.
  3. The former fountain area, to be upgraded, with the grounds around the complex planned as a public park for families.

At the 2024 handover the Premier said the design drew on concert halls in London and the United States, so that performers would not need microphones and could be heard from every side, and that the centre was meant to meet international standards so it could host international artists (Premier's Department).

What is being kept from the 53-year-old building

The minister said the building's original character would be preserved, including its timber panels and its roof of gold glass mosaic tiles, which is being retained despite the higher cost (UKAS). Keeping the original structure makes the upgrade harder than building new, he said, because the existing design has to be adapted to current needs without losing its heritage value.

A small gallery recording the building's history as the seat of the state assembly has been proposed, and a coffee-table book on the building is planned (UKAS).

Who will run it, and what it replaces

In June 2026 the minister said the government planned to set up a dedicated management structure for the centre, to be discussed with the Premier. He said this was not because the Sarawak Arts Council lacked capability, but because staging regular weekly performances would add too much to its existing responsibilities (UKAS).

Large arts events in Kuching are currently spread across several venues. The minister listed the DUN, the Borneo Cultures Museum, the Blessed Centre, an amphitheatre and the Kuching South council auditorium, and said the new centre would offer a far larger audience capacity and better acoustics than existing auditoriums (UKAS).

The centre is also expected to have a broadcasting neighbour. In April 2025 the Premier said TV Sarawak would get its own building near Baitul Makmur in Petra Jaya, close to the performing arts centre, also targeted for 2027 (Premier's Department).

Sources