Call to relook into Tanjung Aru project
An online conserva on group known as Save Open Space Kota Kinabalu has appealed to the new state government to immediately look into the Tanjung Aru Eco Development (TAED) project.
KOTA KINABALU: An online conservation group known as Save Open Space Kota Kinabalu has appealed to the new state government to immediately look into the Tanjung Aru Eco Development (TAED) project.
Claiming that the previous government had initiated the socalled eco-project arbitrarily and pushed it through without proper public views, the group said in a statement yesterday that the development would result in the burying forever of Sabah iconic Tg Aru Beach.
Its spokesmen, SM Muthu and Jefferi Chang, also claimed: The true prime purpose of the project was not stated but all kinds of jargons were used to try to blind or subdue the people.
The project was all about real estate about 840 acres of prime seafront property.
“The whole process was wrong. They over-developed Tg Lipat to force beach-goers to abandon Tg Aru Beach and frequent Tg Lipat.
“We urge the government to immediately put an end to the TAED project and freeze its accounts lest it be abused,” Muthu and Chang said.
They said these issues are raised in the spirit of seeking transparency, accountability and justification from the government as a whole of their statutory responsibility when making decisions regarding the proposed TAED project in the interests of the general public and the citizens of this country who reside in Sabah.
Muthu and Chang also urged the government to look into the conversion of land reserved for recreational purposes for commercial use, such as the gazetted Sutera public park and such others.
“The question to ask is not, “Can it be done?’ but ‘Should it be done?’
City Hall on its part should protect the city dwellers from destructive development. City Hall must ensure the rights of the city dwellers are not trampled upon and development is balanced and sustainable.
“City Hall must play its part to ensure that there are ample open spaces spread throughout the City. Lack of open spaces, parks and gardens and recreational facilities will result in a congested City and may even drive citizens under stress to jump off buildings,” they said.
Muthu and Chang also called on the government to come out with a small immediate budget to clear, clean and make safe the beach front, so as to be peoplefriendly.
“We suggest that the area between Jalan Selangor and the beach be bequeathed to the citizens, with health activities and family-day facilities. Beyond Jalan Selangor the area could be developed for government resthouses and other facilities for the young and aged.
The rest of the land area could also be turned into a large park in recognition of Tg Aru Beach as a heritage and icon of Sabah.”
They added heritage Park would be an apt name or Taman Warisan in Bahasa.
“Sabah has great architects and planners who can come out with excellent designs. We call upon NGOs and citizen groups to come forward to voice their support to the new government in wanting to Save Tanjung Aru Beach, as it was one of their election promises.”