Call to join hands to rebuild a better Donggongon township
The recent efforts of Penampang district councilors to go to the ground in Donggongon township to identify the many issues that the town faces is highly commendable, said Deputy State Assembly Speaker Datuk George Ginibun.
“I hope this is one small step forward and the Penampang District Council has a long-term strategy and plan to address the many challenges that Donggongon is facing from way back until, unfortunately, today,” he said.
Ginibun, a Penampang resident, said, it is upsetting to see all these issues that residents in the district face daily without any resolutions.
“Have the relevant authorities in the past tried hard enough?” he questioned.
Ginibun opined that residents in Penampang need to put their hands together to rebuild a better Donggongon township.
For a start, as the buildings are showing wear and tear, Ginibun suggested that they start by repainting them as this little move may make a big impact visually to the people.
“I personally think the effort to rebuild Donggongon should take place phase by phase. The first phase focusing on repainting all the old shop lots and cleaning the whole Donggongon township. Some of the toilets are unbearable to go near, let alone use them,” he remarked.
Clean up all the public toilets and build more to accommodate the needs accordingly and come up with an effective SOP on the maintenance of toilets, Ginibun suggested.
“We can also consider to privatise public amenities to the private sector. The council will benefit in both ways; as the private contractor will undertake the cost of development of all the public amenities and at the same time come up with a profit sharing deal with the council.
“The same can apply to the parking woes we have in Donggongon. Privatise the parking to the private sector, there are many professional companies in Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia that specialize in parking management,” he suggested.
According to him, we live in the technology age where everything can be done easily and effectively using technology, but why are we not using it.
“We really have to start thinking outside the box. It is time to see positive changes in Penampang and leave behind a great Penampang for all our future generations to be proud of. Let us make a “Better Penampang” with our sincerity and hearts! I'm confident that with the new Warisan-led government there will be many positive changes and resolution to all our woes in Penampang,” he added.