SANDAKAN – After having his lunch at a popular seafood restaurant here marred by the dirty surroundings, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing has allocated RM200,000 each for Sandakan and Batu Sapi to clean up their tourist attractions.
Tiong said he is also aware of the complaints about how dirty several tourist spots are in the area, as they are posted on social media platforms such as Douyin (China’s version of TikTok).
“People overseas are talking about how dirty our places are. If we don’t clean it up now, it will be very difficult (for us to develop the tourism sector) in this area, especially now that people are more health conscious after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I am allocating RM200,000 for the Sandakan and Batu Sapi parliamentary constituencies, and it is up to the people’s representatives (Sandakan MP Vivian Wong and Batu Sapi MP Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan) to manage the cleaning projects.
“The allocation may not be enough but it is a start…but we hope the cleaning works will not stop halfway,” he said after launching the Chinese New Year celebration in Taman Mawar, Batu Sapi last night.
Tiong said it is a waste that Sandakan, which is the second largest city in Sabah and known for its seafood, is ruined by uncollected rubbish.
He said he witnessed the matter himself after having lunch at a seafood restaurant in Kg Sim-Sim, a water village frequented by tourists.
“In Sabah, especially Sandakan and Tawau, there are a lot of tourist attractions (by the sea). This will be a waste as they will only be known for their dirty surroundings.”
Tiong also urged the residents, especially those living in water villages here, to cooperate with the authorities to keep tourist attractions clean.
Rubbish along the coastal area here has been a longstanding problem, especially in Kg Sim-Sim, a historical water village that has been around since Sandakan was founded in 1879.
Similarly, the Pasir Putih beach in Batu Sapi, which is the only sandy beach here, is littered with rubbish.
The elected reps would often organise clean-up programmes, but the rubbish would continue to be washed ashore.
Generally, residents of water villages and nearby islands are accused of disposing of their waste directly into the sea.
In the Batu Sapi constituency alone, there are 14 water villages estimated to house more than 1,000 families, while Kampung Sim Sim currently has more than 7,000 residents.
Meanwhile, Tiong urged the Sabah Tourism Board and industry players to increase engagement sessions with the Tourism Promotion Board to develop the sector.
When asked about Sandakan having no direct international flights, Tiong said the place must first be ready in terms of its tourism services and hospitality facilities. – February 17, 2024