Sri Tanjong DAP candidate challenged to prove Warisan govt encouraged entrepreneurship
TAWAU: Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) candidate for N.69 Sri Tanjong, Lim Ting Khai, has challenged the Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan)-Democratic Action Party (DAP) candidate Justin Wong Yung Bin to provide proof to substantiate his claim that the Warisan-led state government has provided various platforms to encourage entrepreneurship among young people as stated in the latter’s election pamphlet.
Lim said Wong had stated that Tawau had set up many night markets for aspiring young entrepreneurs to do business and to attract tourists.
He is baffled as to where the night markets that purportedly spur entrepreneurship and tourism are.
Lim said he had spent the last two years on the ground listening to the grassroots, especially the sentiments of the Chinese community and shopkeepers, most of whom were against the Sunday tamu or night markets set up at Sabindo, Jalan Chester and Mile 5 Jalan Apas that were created when the new Tawau Municipal Council (TMC) chairman Datuk Amrullah Kamal took office.
Lim stressed that the Chinese community and shopkeepers’ objection to the tamu was not a racial issue, but because majority of the shops were coincidentally operated by the Chinese, some of whom were the second or third generation.
He said the TMC had ignored the rights and interests of the shopkeepers in allowing the night markets to operate.
“The night markets not only occupy the spaces in front of the shops, but also the parking bays, which affects sales of the shops.
“Even worse, the night market vendors even sell similar goods as the shops.”
Lim pointed out that the shop operators at Sabindo had once placed their hopes on former Sri Tanjong assemblyman Datuk Jimmy Wong but was let down in the end.
“Wong should know about what transpired since he was involved with handling various affairs of the former assemblyman since 2018.”
Meanwhile, he said the Jalan Chester night market had fallen short of expectations.
He said the night market was touted to have hundreds of stalls but ended up only a few dozen, many of which were struggling to survive.
“It is basically a failed product of the TMC.”
He pointed out that the tamu in front of Kinabutan market was even more absurd as it was competing with the hawkers operating in the market.
Hence, Lim was perplexed with Wong’s claim on the night markets providing entrepreneurship opportunities to young people.
“How are these temporary night markets supposed to help young people build up their business.
“Some of the stalls are even operating at a loss.”
He pointed out that Wong’s claim that the night markets were drawing tourists was also nonsensical as almost all tourists who touched down at Tawau Airport would head directly to Semporna instead of going to Tawau.
Lim urged the Chinese community and businesses in Tawau to contemplate whether they wanted a Sri Tanjong assemblyman who would be creating more tamu and night markets, after they had endured the tamu and night markets set up by the now retired TMC chairman for the past two years.