DONGGONGON TAMU TRADERS WANT QUICK RETURN TO ORIGINAL SITE

By Muhammad Saufee Rosman

PENAMPANG, Nov 21 (Bernama) -- The Donggongon Tamu in Donggongon Town here continues to attract visitors, offering a wide range of quality goods, from fresh agricultural produce and traditional handicrafts to tantalising local food, including some exotic items.

The uniqueness of the market, one of the oldest in Sabah, lies in the freshness of its products, with most items being home-grown or reared by traders, who operate from Wednesday to Friday each week.

Behind this allure, however, traders harbour a deep hope that the ongoing works for the RM8.5 million Donggongon Tamu upgrading project can be expedited to ensure the continuity of their income.

Most traders interviewed by Bernama said they understood the need to operate at a temporary site near the Datuk Peter Mojuntin Memorial since November 2024, but the location has not been able to attract the same number of visitors as the original site, which is more strategic, open and easily accessible.

As such, traders at the Donggongon Tamu, located within the Moyog state constituency, expressed hope that the representative elected in the 17th Sabah State Election will play a role in speeding up the project.

A fresh produce trader, Lee Kien Ming, 43, who has been earning a living at the market for more than 20 years, said the traders’ return to the original site would help them regain stable daily income.

“If the original site reopens, more people will come. This is where we have long earned our livelihood. When the number of customers drops, so does income. So the faster the upgrading works for the Donggongon Tamu are completed, the better for everyone,” he said.

Lee also hoped that the elected representative would pay attention to improving road access and surrounding facilities to ensure smoother visitor movement when the market resumes operations.

Sharing the same view, anchovies and dried fish trader, Nur Aleyeea Radsman, 45, said that although the temporary site still receives visitors, the atmosphere cannot match the original Donggongon Tamu, which was livelier and attracted more customers.

“It’s not just me who wants the original tamu reopened, but all the traders. People do come here, but not as many as at the original site,” said Aleyeea, who has traded at the Donggongon Tamu for the past 17 years.

For Syarifah Nurjannah Timol, 18, who helps with her family’s fruit and vegetable business, early completion of the upgrading project at the original Donggongon Tamu site would ease their business operations and help boost sales.

“Right now, many customers don’t know the location of this temporary site, that’s why sometimes there are fewer people,” said the IT diploma student at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM).

The Donggongon Tamu upgrading project, covering an area of 2.54 hectares, is expected to be completed next year after delays since 2018. Once completed, it will feature various facilities, including 550 dry market lots, 36 wet market lots, a police beat base, public toilets, parking spaces and a tamu management office.

Donggongon Town, located about 10 kilometres from Kota Kinabalu city centre, functions not only as the administrative hub of the Penampang district but also as a cultural centre for the Kadazandusun community, one of the largest ethnic groups in Sabah.

Moyog has 31,084 electors and is one of the state seats under the Penampang parliamentary constituency, besides Kapayan.

According to the Election Commission, 1,784,843 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in this state election, comprising 1,760,417 regular voters, 11,697 military personnel and spouses, and 12,729 police personnel and spouses.

For the latest news on the 17th Sabah State Election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/sabah/index.php

N26: MOYOG: SABAH: 31,084

1. Peter Maurice Lidadun    (IND)

2. Cleftus Stephen Spine    (PIS)

3. Datuk Donald Peter Mojuntin    (UPKO)

4. Francis Mojikon    (PN-Bersatu)

5. Richard Ronald Dompok    (PKS)

6. Ricky Chang Onn Pin @ Ricky Richard    (IND)

7. Walter Norbert Johnny    (PBK)

8. Joeynodd Aiiko Ronald C Bansin    (GRS-PBS)

9. Mckery Victor Ninin    (KDM)

10. Joseph Suleiman    (STAR)

11. Terrence Siambun    (Warisan)

12. Remysta Jimmy Taylor    (PH-PKR)

(2020: Datuk Ignatius Darell Leiking: Warisan Plus-Warisan: Maj: 5,935)

-- BERNAMA