Nga Kor Ming Wants to Transform Local Markets into Tourist Spots Through Architecture Competitions

Malaysia has a variety of tourist spots which weirdly enough widely includes malls.

But, with malls being filled with stores by international brands, you really can’t consider it an experience of Malaysian culture for tourists.

Housing and Local Development (KPKT) Minister Nga Kor Ming recently took to his TikTok page to share how he believes that local pasars (markets) should be uplifted as tourist spots and intends to spend millions to make this happen!

He said, “KPKT intends to transform public markets into tourist destinations, and will hold architectural competitions for the construction of a public market which costs more than RM15 million.”

He went on to share how KPKT had previously conducted a similar competition, that was treated as a step ahead of an open tender, to rebuild the Bukit Mertajam Public Market, with an allocation of RM24 million.

This image is for illustration purposes only.

“An architectural design competition was organized by the Association of Malaysian Architects. The winner of the competition has been appointed by the local authority (PBT) as the relevant project consultant,” he said.

He explained that markets will not only be a place to shop, but they will also contain craft centres among other interesting features.

Nga Kor Ming also added that such competition creates a platform for architects to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

You can check out his video here: 

@ngakormingofficial

KPKT berhasrat untuk mentransformasi pasar awam menjadi destinasi pelancongan dan mengadakan pertandingan seni bina untuk pembinaan pasar awam yang kosnya melebihi RM15 juta. Sebelum ini, KPKT telah memperuntukkan RM24 juta untuk projek pembinaan semula Pasar Awam Bukit Mertajam yang uzur dan pernah mengalami kebakaran. Satu pertandingan reka bentuk seni bina telah dianjurkan oleh Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia. Pemenang pertandingan tersebut telah dilantik oleh pihak berkuasa tempatan (PBT) sebagai perunding projek berkaitan. Menurut Nga, pemenang pertandingan akan berperanan sebagai konsultan untuk projek tersebut. Langkah ini lebih baik daripada tender terbuka kerana ia memberikan platform kepada arkitek untuk menunjukkan pengetahuan dan kemahiran mereka. #MalaysiaMadani #StrongerTogether #DemiPertiwi #UnityInDiversity

♬ original sound – Nga Kor Ming (official) – Nga Kor Ming (official)

What do you think of his idea? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.

Also read: George Town Festival Apologises Over Lack of Malay Representation in Their Teaser Video