KUCHING: Twenty-two inmates from Puncak Borneo Prison completed about 20 pieces of Sarawak songket since last year.
The Sarawak songket woven by the inmates will become the state’s new textile product.
State Prisons Department director Ajidin Salleh said the songket production, woven by 22 selected male inmates, went by the brand SaraPride (Sarawak, Prison Department).
“Currently, our workshop, containing 16 weaving houses, is in Puncak Borneo Prison.
“This is our initiative to grow and empower the songket industry in Sarawak,” he told reporters, in conjunction with the second visit of the Chief Minister’s wife and patron Datuk Amar Juma’ani Tuanku Bujang to the workshop yesterday.
The project is a joint venture between Old Kuching Kampung Heritage (Okshe), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), Tun Abdul Razak Teachers Training Institute, and Centexs with Sarawak’s songket and keringkam community.
Ajidin hoped the project would be expanded so that Puncak Borneo Prison could become the largest songket industry hub in Borneo, as proposed by Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.
“I hope the state government, along with Okshe and Centex for allocation block of unused buildings in the prison be restored and used as a permanent SaraPride workshop as it could hold at least 100 weaving houses,” he added.
Ajidin also revealed that the State Prisons Department would collaborate with Centex to commercialise and market the songket products and to obtain certificates and qualifications for the inmates’ talents.
“Most of the inmates who went through an interview session for the project showed their interest to become a weaver in the future. Thus, we will look for supporting agencies for them after they have been released,” he stated.
Aimi Rashidah Bohri, 26, one of the tutors for the project explained that inmates went through an interview with Puncak Borneo Prison to see if they are qualified for the activity.
“Songket and keringkam weaving takes a lot of time, patience, focus and determination to complete the 2.5m piece within three to four months.
“Aside from that, we also taught them to weave scarves, sampin and sarongs,” she told reporters.
The Puncak Borneo Prison SaraPride songket workshop is part of the Sarawak Heritage Innovation ― songket and keringkam project ― between the state government and state Prisons Department.
