Sandakan Sports Complex in sorry state
THERE is either a serious lack of funding to upkeep the Sandakan Sports Complex in Sabah or the Youth and Sports Ministry believes that people in Sandakan answer the call of nature behind trees.
The Sports Complex itself is a vibrant hub of recreation and sports, especially during weekends, when the place is packed.
In the main complex building, there are two toilets for the public, one in the badminton hall and the other near the squash courts and gymnastics hall.
The toilets near the squash courts started their downhill journey with cubicles being dirty because the toilet water cisterns couldn’t be flushed, sinks were clogged up and taps not functioning.
So these female toilets were at last locked up. Those needing to relieve themselves have to go some distance away to the other toilets in the badminton hall.
Even little girls having their gymnastics practice have to go all the way to the alternative toilets, exposing them to greater risks if their mothers were not around to take them.
The men’s toilets were also subsequently closed because of the same problem. When the mothers of gymnasts held a gotongroyong to clean the gymnastics hall themselves after a case of vandalism (does the complex not have a budget for cleaners?), they had to brave the men’s toilets with their unmentionable filth for their water source.
The alternative toilets in the badminton hall are now facing the same fate. One by one, the cubicles are starting to be locked up.
When all the toilets are finally spoiled, I wonder, are the people of Sandakan expected to urinate and defecate behind trees in the otherwise beautiful park there?
The neglected toilets are not the only sign that the Sandakan Sports Complex is being sidelined. The badminton hall leaks in at least 10 places at my last count and pails are needed when it rains heavily.
The drains at the car park are clogged with leaves and full of stagnant water. One car park floods after rain because the water cannot flow away fast enough.
These are just the problems at the main building. Signs of decline are evident at the other sporting facilities around the complex too.
The complex is the center for all kinds of tournaments and sporting events. Participants come not only from all over the state but even from other states in Malaysia.
Sandakan is the second biggest town in Sabah after Kota Kinabalu. And this is what Sandakan is given?
Do not look down on us. We produce athletes who have been chosen to represent the country. The people of Sandakan live a healthy lifestyle.
We are not asking for gleaming marble floors or blazing chandeliers. We are asking for the basic necessities of a civilised society. The trees are not an option for us.