Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Housing and Real Estate Developers Association urged the Federal Government to consider “serious” financing for development of basic infrastructure in the State in order to capture the data centre market.
Its President Datuk Sr. Chua Soon Ping said private data centre investments are moving away from Singapore to Penang, Johor Baru and Sarawak for cheaper electricity rates.
“Sabah does not have a data centre yet and, as you know, we have just moved into 5G and newer developments will all require data centres.
“Fundamentally, a centre requires two things, which are 24- hour access to water and electricity.
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“Make it happen for Sabah to be equal partners in Malaysia so data centres can finally be established in the State,” he said.
Chua stressed that Sabah falls far behind other states, especially Kuala Lumpur, and the people are tired of frequent electricity and water supply disruptions.
“Perhaps the State Government can establish a task force to liaise with federal to improve basic infrastructures.
“Otherwise when we have the money we won’t know what to do. We must plan for the short, medium and long term. This is what Shareda wants to see improve in Sabah,” he said.
Meanwhile, Thien Vun Su drove home a new BYD Dolphin electric vehicle from the showroom in Kolombong after winning Shareda’s PropEX 2024 lucky draw grand prize in June.
It was an auspicious sign for the paralegal after purchasing a Q Suite unit at the second development phase of Jesselton Quay in the city.
“Of course, I feel happy for winning the grand prize. Owning an electric vehicle never crossed my mind,” she told reporters.
It is Thien’s third unit at Jesselton Quay she purposes for AirBnB. She expressed confidence in the developer and the tourist centric location.
“It is a handful when starting AirBnB, to build your customer base and deal with the online websites, but slowly it has turned into a stable side income.
“During peak season, the units are usually fully booked,” she said, adding she would be using the car for now until she decides to sell it off.
The Dolphin costs about RM109,000 while some 100 units have been sold in Sabah since BYD’s soft launching here in March.
Chua said the car was initially the grand prize for a hole-in-one golf charity drive.
“But as no one was successful in making a hole-in-one, we decided to incorporate it with PropEX 2024.
“PropEX has always been the ideal event for homebuyers and investors to get the best deals, and as developers, we are always encouraged to build better projects with lower prices.
“As tough as this is for us to achieve, we are always trying our best to close the gap by strategic approach to balancing supply and demand.
“Shareda is always committed to a greener and more sustainable future by integrating sustainable development goals. This year, by giving away an electric vehicle, we hope that it shapes the way forward,” he said.
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