PENAMPANG: The Prisons Department has been urged to introduce batik-making and weaving courses as new skills programmes for inmates in Sabah to elevate the State’s traditional textile heritage.
Assistant Community Development and People’s Welfare Minister Datuk Flovia Ng said such programs would not only enhance inmates’ skills but also provide positive economic impact to the state.
“I want these batik and weaving programs brought to Sabah because we do not yet have large-scale textile factories or commercial batik printing facilities here,” she said when officiating the closing of the MyPride Fest and Fair Sabah Zone 2025 programme, here, Sunday.
Flovia hopes Sabah can follow other states that have already implemented similar programs, including batik at Pengkalan Chepa Prison in Kelantan, songket weaving in Pahang and songket and keringkam at Puncak Borneo Prison in Sarawak.
She said the State Government will continue supporting programs that serve as platforms to showcase prison products and inmates’ skills to the community.
Meanwhile, Sabah and Labuan State Prison Director Tey Hock Soon hopes the public can become agents of change by opening opportunities for current and former inmates to contribute back to their families and society.
