NEW TOWN CHANGING FACE OF KINABATANGAN, DRIVING RESIDENTS' ECONOMY AND WELL-BEING

By Rohana Nasrah

KINABATANGAN, Jan 13 (Bernama) -- Kinabatangan is not just a name on the map of Sabah, but rather a destination that attracts visitors by offering the greenery of tropical forests, natural panoramas, the beauty of biodiversity and the unique culture of the local population, the majority of whom are Sungai tribes.

Located in eastern Sabah, approximately 306 kilometres or approximately five hours' drive from Kota Kinabalu, Kinabatangan is also famous as a centre for conservation, research and a gateway for domestic and international tourists.

Apart from being synonymous with the exotic red durian trees, this district also houses various flora and fauna ecosystems as well as valuable wildlife treasures such as Borneo elephants, Proboscis monkeys and Orang Utans along the Sungai Kinabatangan, the second longest river in Malaysia.

According to statistics from the Department of Statistics Malaysia, the Kinabatangan parliamentary constituency has an area of ​​around 18,068 square kilometres, encompassing the state constituencies of Kuamut, Lamag and Sukau, with a recorded population of 216,087.

The new town in Lamag constituency, complete with modern commercial buildings, not only presents a new face for Kinabatangan, but also stimulates the rapid growth of business activities, thus improving the socio-economic status of the residents and opening up many job opportunities for the youth.

Kinabatangan district officer Suhaimie Ejip said most of the residents in the district work in oil palm plantations, subsistence agriculture, cash crops, business, tourism, while others work as fishermen and in the public and private service sectors.

He said Kinabatangan has great economic prospects, therefore it should not be judged based on external perceptions alone, but rather should be viewed comprehensively from the perspective of the true potential of the district.

He said the district also plays an important role in contributing to Sabah's economic development, especially through oil palm plantations and the tourism sector.

“I see Kinabatangan as ‘the green gold’ because of its rich natural resources, besides almost 80 per cent of the district is dominated by oil palm plantations,” he said in an exclusive interview with Bernama here recently.

Kinabatangan town is complete with various infrastructures including hospitals, health clinics, schools, libraries, courts and an internet centre, namely the National Information Dissemination Centre (NADI), in addition to banking facilities, postal services, public markets and the new construction of a multi-purpose hall.

Although various basic facilities were available, Suhaimie said Kinabatangan is still hungry for more meaningful development, especially quality road infrastructure so that the residents’ economic activities would continue to grow and ensure that it could be on par with other districts in Sabah.

He said the implementation of the Pan Borneo Highway Project, which also involves Kinabatangan, is believed to be able to provide a more efficient road network, paving the way for faster development and benefit not only the local residents, but all Sabahans.

This is because, he said, the roads in Kinabatangan are the main connecting network between the west coast and east coast of Sabah, therefore, serious attention needs to be given to ensure that the people's infrastructure can be completed.

"When there is a good road network, it will facilitate all economic activities, especially making it easier for residents to bring their agricultural produce and tourists will also feel safer coming here," he said.

Meanwhile, local tour guide Zarin Sakirim, 33, said the development of Kinabatangan, especially in the Lamag state constituency, has shown positive changes in the past 10 years with the addition of new business premises making the area more lively than before.

Zarin said another new area is planned to be developed, namely Bandar Seri Milian, which is expected to be able to transform the face of Kinabatangan and the development is believed to open up more job opportunities and thus improve the standard of living of the residents.

Private teacher Noor Hanisah Sikang Pong, 26, is of the opinion that the rapid development in the new town area not only gives many choices to the people of Kinabatangan, but more importantly, it makes it easier for residents to obtain their daily needs without having to go to the nearest towns, namely Sandakan or Lahad Datu, which are located approximately 85 kilometers (km) and 100 km away respectively.

Noor Hanisah hopes that the elected representatives from the Kinabatangan parliamentary constituency and Lamag state constituency by-elections will be able to ensure that road infrastructure is given special attention because it is important to save travel time, facilitate economic affairs and ensure the safety of the residents.

"My hope is that the elected representatives will be able to bring about change so that Kinabatangan has a new face, lots of development, the economy is also developed and most importantly, they will be transparent in serving and listening to the people's voices so that no one is left out," she said.

The Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election is seeing a three-cornered contest between Mohd Kurniawan Naim Moktar representing Barisan Nasional (BN), Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman (Warisan) and Goldam Hamid (Independent), while the Lamag state seat is a one-on-one contest between Mohd Ismail Ayob (BN) and Mazliwati Abdul Malek (Warisan).

The by-election is held following the death of incumbent Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, 66, on Dec 5 last year.

The Kinabatangan parliamentary constituency has 48,722 registered voters, comprising 48,526 ordinary voters and 196 police officers and their spouses as early voters.

A total of 36 regular polling centres with 117 channels and one early polling centre with one channel will be used.

The Election Commission has set the polling day for both by-elections as Jan 24 while the early voting is on Jan 20.

-- BERNAMA