TAWAU: The Tawau Municipal Council (MPT) is urged to speed up construction of new stalls at the Sabindo site so traders who have operated there for 40 years can resume business as soon as possible.
Sabah DAP Committee member Philip Yap said Sabindo stallholders will move to a new location to make way for the construction of the Tawau International Cultural Centre, but the new site remains under construction and is only expected to be ready by early February 2027.
“Traders at the site received a notice to vacate the premises from the MPT last week and must cease operations on Sept 3, 2026.
“This means traders may be forced to halt operations for about six months while waiting for the new site to be completed,” he said.
Yap said he received various reactions and complaints from Sabindo traders worried about the financial impact of the six-month closure.
He said their main concerns included paying workers’ wages while unable to operate, with some fearing they could lose their source of income to support their families if workers are laid off.
“Apart from losing their own income, most of these traders are heads of households who have to bear family expenses as well as children who are still in school,” he said.
Yap said he had raised the traders’ concerns with the MPT and urged that the vacation period be extended.
He said this would give traders sufficient time to prepare before halting operations, as well as allow them to discuss wage payments or termination matters with their workers.
Yap also proposed that the MPT grant a six-month exemption on rental and operating licence fees to all Sabindo traders once they move to the new site.
He believes the exemption would help ease traders’ financial burden and serve as a form of assistance to those forced to bear losses from being unable to operate for several months.
He also urged that construction of the new stalls be accelerated and completed ahead of schedule to minimise losses for traders.
“If the new stalls can be completed by November 2026, traders would have the chance to resume operations by December 2026, cutting the closure period from six months to just three months,” he said.
“If construction can be finished earlier, the period traders are unable to operate can also be reduced, and this would directly minimise their losses,” he said.
Yap hopes MPT would take the matter seriously, particularly amid the current uncertain economic conditions and the challenges facing the food and beverage sector.
He said mega project development is important for Tawau’s future, but the interests and welfare of the people directly affected by such development should not be set aside.
