SANDAKAN: Sabah Progressive Party Vice President cum Tanjung Papat Division Chairman Lau Chi Keong wants the government to immediately draft a Sandakan Recovery Plan to address its long-standing development challenges.
The proposed plan focuses on infrastructure improvements, establishing an Urban Transformation Centre (UTC), developing tourism packages and creating mechanisms to retain talented youths to pull Sabah’s second-largest city out of its prolonged developmental stagnation.
Lau said the Sabah Government should prioritise addressing water supply, electricity and road issues that have plagued Sandakan for years, while making it a priority to set up a UTC to improve administrative efficiency and public service delivery.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});He also suggested creating a small and medium enterprise incubation centre to encourage local entrepreneurship and integrate industry supply chains.
“We need to be more proactive in tourism by developing eco-tourism, historical and cultural tours, and food trails, positioning Sandakan as an international transit tourism city,” Lau said in a statement.
Lau pointed out Sandakan’s unique natural resources and ecological landscape, including the Kinabatangan River, tropical rainforests and conservation areas, which have high potential for development as international eco-tourism destinations.
However, he expressed disappointment over the lack of coordination and promotion by previous governments, which resulted in these resources being underutilised and stunted economic growth.
Addressing local economic recovery, Lau said skilled worker migration must be tackled first. He called on elected representatives to establish technology and skills training centres to enhance youth competitiveness.
Lau noted that basic infrastructure issues in Sandakan remain unchanged from previous administrations to the present.
Lau praised new Sandakan Municipal Council President Walter Kenson for showing results in city cleanliness management within less than four months in office.