KOTA KINABALU: The fast growing Kota Kinabalu city needs proper planning to ensure that the state capital, as a gateway to Sabah becomes a liveable city.
State Assistant Finance Minister Sarifuddin Hata said under the new Sabah government, the direction is to allow for properly planned and zoned development within the city.
Common sense tells us that there was a need for proper urban or town planning, he said while reacting in surprise to former chief minister Tan Sri Harris Mohd Salleh’s unfounded claims over purported development in “Malay” village of Kampung Likas here.
“As a leader who had a vision for our beloved Sabah, I personally feel that his vision is now getting poor 40 years after.
“Harris perhaps fails to see the bigger picture due to his failing vision,” he said in a statement, today.
Sarifuddin said that the current Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal since taking over office has made it clear to city planners to ensure proper management and administration in all aspects, including town planning.
“As it is now, Kota Kinabalu for example, may not be the best planned city (due to the previous administrations).
“Some areas could be seen as haphazardly planned. Perhaps there were plans but the administrators let things happen without any order and today we can even see some public roads and open spaces taken over by businesses who refuse to budge,“ he said.
Sarifuddin said as a city grows, areas such as Likas, Tanjung Aru that are very close to the city centre, may not really be suitable for residential purposes anymore.
He said Harris’ statement seemed to have referred to a time that was some 40 years ago when he spoke of Sembulan.
“Harris needs to be in the right decade - it is already 2019. What may be suitable then is definitely not anymore.
“You get food centres, cemeteries, houses of worship, schools, workshops all in one spot next to each other. Basically, it is a mess,“ said Sarifuddin, adding that proper zoning must be adhered to so that eventually slums were not created. — Bernama
