CHAN BRAVES THE SEA TO EXPERIENCE THE DAILY STRUGGLES OF PULAU GAYA RESIDENTS

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 22 (Bernama) --  For years, this political figure took to the roads in true grassroots fashion, journeying from one neighbourhood to the next in vehicles adorned with posters, surrounded by a dedicated team of volunteers.

The 17th Sabah State Election is unlike any other for Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for the Tanjung Aru seat, Datuk Chan Foong Hin, who this time finds himself swapping the usual campaign trail for a small boat ride across the sea to Pulau Gaya, just ten minutes from the bustling city centre.

“The Tanjung Aru state constituency is unique. It is home to Kota Kinabalu’s largest and most advanced shopping centre, along with some of the city’s top hotels.

“While some areas have good infrastructure, certain sections clearly reflect issues of urban poverty, especially in the villages,” the Deputy Plantations and Commodities Minister told Bernama during the used cooking oil collection awareness briefing on Pulau Gaya recently.

Citing Kampung Torong Logong, one of the island’s five villages, as an example, Chan highlighted that without proper road networks and essential services such as health clinics, electricity, clean water, and reliable internet, many residents face daily challenges, forced to commute by boat to the mainland.

The Tanjung Aru constituency also includes two villages in Tanjung Aru town and three in Sembulan.

“Given the development gap, these areas naturally require greater attention. That’s why I have visited Pulau Gaya four times since the beginning of this month. While various programmes have been implemented, they are not merely efforts to engage voters,” he said.

According to him, his vision for the island extends beyond basic infrastructure, as he hopes to see residents embrace a circular economy, turning used cooking oil (UCO) into an additional source of income for their households.

“The price of UCO ranges between RM2 and RM2.50 per kilogramme, yet in 2024, Sabah only collected around 5,200 tonnes, less than 1.5 per cent of Malaysia’s total UCO output of 380,000 tonnes.

“So, this is a strategic step to support the residents, while also ensuring that the future of the country’s palm oil and biofuel industries remains sustainable and competitive,” he said.

Despite his push for economic change, he admitted that life on the island is far from easy. Residents face a host of development challenges, including schools in fragile wooden buildings, perched on stilts over water, leaving them vulnerable to erosion, strong waves and the risk of collapse.

The two schools are Sekolah Kebangsaan Pulau Gaya and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan  Pulau Gaya.

“Education is fundamental. We must ensure that children learn in a safe and stable environment…the federal government has approved RM260 million to build a new educational complex on the mainland to replace the existing schools,” he said, adding that earlier this month he visited a site to assess the development area with Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh.

“The proposed complex will feature 36 classrooms, a large hall, a sports field, and various other supporting facilities to provide a safer and more conducive learning environment. It will also ensure that students have spaces for sports and extracurricular activities without having to rent fields in the city,” he said.

He also acknowledged that access to reliable internet also needs to be improved, as residents often struggle to send messages, let alone make phone calls, due to poor coverage, making online learning particularly challenging.

To tackle this issue, Chan revealed that he met with Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching last week and was informed that a 30-metre telecommunications tower with full 5G coverage has been approved for construction in Kampung Kasuapan.

He concluded that politics, at its heart, is about serving the people, emphasising the need to set clear objectives and understand the diverse groups of voters, whose backgrounds and needs vary widely.

“As experienced politicians, we must address these needs appropriately,” he added.

The Tanjung Aru state constituency, with 21,264 registered voters, is one of the three seats in the Putatan parliamentary constituency set to go to the polls on Nov 29.

N22: TANJUNG ARU: SABAH: 21,264

(2020: Junz Wong Hong Jun: Warisan Plus-Warisan: Majority: 3,147)

-- BERNAMA