LABIS: The local community has come together to paint murals on walls of a row of wooden old shoplots as an effort to promote tourism at the Bekok town here.
The mural-painting effort was part of the Bekok Transformation programme, which was initiated by the locals and supported by Labis MP Datuk Chua Tee Yong.
The transformation programme committee secretary Tien Thong Sin said that the residents took about five days to complete a mural depicting the town’s popular Sungai Batang Waterfall along Jalan Wijaya here.
“This is just the first phase of the mural-painting activity, as we are planning to come up with more murals in the next few months which will involve another row of wooden shoplots along Jalan Gunong,” he told StarMetro recently.
Apart from attracting tourists to throng the town, Tien said that the community hoped to attract locals who have left the town to pursue an education or career in more developed cities to return for holidays.
“We want our people especially the younger generation to visit their hometown and contribute to its economy.
“Besides encouraging creativity among youths, we also hope to recruit more volunteers and create job opportunities for locals through the programme,” he added.
Tien said the committee also launched a photography contest, which was open to the public, for the programme.
“The competition is open to members of the public and the only criteria set is that the photograph must be taken within Bekok such as the iconic Sungai Batang Waterfall, the Bekok train station, quaint kopitiams (popular hangout spot among locals).
“Winners will walk away with cash prizes of up to RM1,000 and a certificate and participants have until May 31 to submit their photos,” he said adding that those interested could log on to their Facebook page “Labis Ecotourism” for more details.
