Kota Kinabalu: Turning the 33-meter high Mazu Statue project in Kudat into a reality will require a diplomatic and amicable discussion among all parties involved so that a consensus can be reached.State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said it would continue to be a controversial issue if the parties do not sit down together and come to an agreement about the matter. “Some people are for it, some are against it, and that’s okay. When you have a dispute, you just have to settle it. A settlement must be agreed upon. “It all depends on the parties concerned when they negotiate what they want to do,” she told reporters when hosting her Ministry’s Hari Raya Open House at Sutera Harbour Marina, here, Friday.
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In March, Christina visited the site of the abandoned project at the request of the local community during her working visit to Kudat. She believed that the Mazu project warrants another look by the State Government as it could catalyse a tourism boom that would meet the Sabah Maju Jaya goals of improving the State’s economy, provide jobs for locals and raise the economy of poverty-hit Kudat. The Mazu Statue or Goddess of the Sea project was started by former Chief Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat in 2005 after receiving the green light from the Kudat Town Board. However in 2007, the then Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman called off the project after. It was proposed that the statue be built near the Kudat District Mosque, but it was met with backlash from certain religious quarters. United Sabah Islamic Organisation (Usia) President Datuk Sapawi Ahmad opposed the project, stating that it would disturb the solemnity of Muslim worship although even PAS-ruled Kelantan hosts the tallest Buddha Statue near a mosque.
On the other hand, both Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Joachim Gunsalam expressed no objections towards the project. Sabah Umno also said it supported the Mazu project for its tourism spin-offs to the Kudat community which also includes Muslims that would uplift their livelihood.
Sabah PKR and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) also voiced support. PKR Sabah said Usia’s reasoning made it appear like the faith of Muslims was weak, while PBS said the statue should have been up long ago.
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