Sibu Nears City Status After Reserves Surge to RM47 Million, Population Target in Sight
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Sibu is just RM3 million away from becoming Sarawak’s next city — its council reserves have more than doubled since 2019.
Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting announced today that the town’s financial reserves have grown to RM47 million, up sharply from RM19 million when he took office in 2019. The threshold for city status is RM50 million.
SMC chairman Clarence Ting speaking at a press conference after launching the WAK Sibu Festival 2026 calendar at Wisma Sanyan on May 26.
The second requirement — a population of 300,000 — is also being gradually met as Sibu sees demographic shifts and steady growth.
“When I became chairman in 2019, people often asked why Miri could be upgraded to a city but not Sibu. After reviewing the criteria, we were only short of two main requirements,” Ting said.
Sibu, long seen as a predominantly Chinese-majority town, is now becoming increasingly diverse, with a growing Iban population and broader ethnic representation.
Location: Sibu, Sarawak
Reserves: RM47M (up from RM19M in 2019)
Target: RM50M reserves + 300,000 population
Source: DayakDailyWhat do you think — will Sibu finally get city status this year?
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