Kota Kinabalu: Garbage is not only affecting Semporna, which has been labelled “the dirtiest in Asia”, said a tourism organisation.
Sabah Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Satta) Chairman Dato’ Seri Winston Liaw said even the capital city is not spared from garbage, particularly along the coastal area of Likas Bay.
“Likas Bay is popular for its Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, one of the stopover points for tourists to take photos, as well as its public park along the waterfront.
“It is also well-known for the annual dragon boat race, with the 33-storey State Administration Centre as the backdrop,” said Liaw.
Therefore, Satta has urged Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming to give equal attention to the garbage issue around the city.
He was responding to Nga’s recent call for Semporna to address its cleanliness problem after a vlogger highlighted the garbage situation on social media.
Liaw pointed out that the dragon boat event attracts thousands of tourists to watch the race every year.
“But rubbish can be seen strewn along the beach, and potholes are also another issue that needs attention.
“Likas Bay is a famous tourism belt, but the lack of basic infrastructure maintenance could tarnish Sabah’s image as an international tourist destination,” he said.
Furthermore, he said the beautiful scenery of Likas Bay has become an eyesore due to two major abandoned projects — the Pacificity and the Sabah Energy Complex — which have affected the sentiment of foreign investors.
Liaw said he had made efforts to contact Nga last year to seek his assistance regarding the abandoned projects, but to no avail.
Despite this, he said the Pacificity purchasers managed to deliver an appeal letter to the minister when he was at Kampung Nelayan Restaurant, and they are still waiting for Nga to take action.
Satta urged the local authorities to act swiftly to clear all the rubbish along Likas Bay and repair the potholes along the Likas Public Park so that Sabah’s reputation as a “Tourism Haven” can be preserved.
Liaw also urged Kota Kinabalu Member of Parliament Chan Foong Hin to focus his attention on cleaning up the city instead of diverting it to Semporna.
“We urge YB Chan to manage and look after the Kota Kinabalu tourism area, especially Likas, so that KK’s image can be saved,” he said.
