Activists Up In Arms Over Green Light For Tanjung Aru Mega Project

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Save Open Space coordinator SM Muthu.KOTA KINABALU: Activists here are up in arms over the state government’s announcement that the controversial Tanjung Aru Eco-Development (TAED) project will proceed as planned
SM Muthu, the Kota Kinabalu coordinator for NGO Save Open Space, said Chief Minister Shafie Apdal had confirmed in his winding-up speech in the state assembly that there would be no change to the development plans
“What some of the papers have written, that it will be scaled down, is incorrect. Nothing has changed
“It is all according to the old plan: 30% for commercial development and 70% reserved for future developments,” he said when contacted by FMT
The plan was approved by the previous state Cabinet on Nov 15, 2017, and received the assent of the Sabah governor in March last year
Muthu said only 30% – the equivalent of 39 lots of land – would be sold and developed by investors while the remainder, including the beach, Prince Philip Park and public spaces, would remain under state control
He said the people had expected more of the Warisan-led state government
“We expect the current government to be transparent and implement things by the rule of law and according to procedure. You plan with the people
“I feel let down by the government, especially Tanjung Aru assemblyman Junz Wong.”He recalled how Wong, who is now the state agriculture and food industry minister, had used the TAED project to campaign for support in last year’s election
“He told us if Warisan came to power, the project would be scrapped. Now what has happened? Now I feel like a fool,” Muthu added
He also said that the Kota Kinabalu City Hall was supposed to hold a second public forum on the matter, and spoke of the plan to create a man-made beach which he said would cost between RM40 million and RM50 million to maintain
Sabah Environmental Protection Association president Lanash Thanda agreed that the state government had fallen short of what it promised to the people
Sabah Environmental Protection Association president Lanash Thanda.However, she said the TAED project was compromised “from the start”
“The new government promised transparency which it has not delivered
“There has been no clean-up of state planning or environmental departments, which have been making all sorts of decisions that will have long-term negative impacts on Sabah,” she told FMT
She also questioned the government’s will to deal with what she called ongoing systemic corruption
“This has a direct impact on all these developmental projects,” she said
“Actually there are still too many questions on TAED. No one is clear what is happening. So it would be good for more transparency, more technical sharing so that those who understand the long-term implications can make a judgement call.”TAED is a mixed development project slated to be built at Tanjung Aru here. It entails the construction of hotels, residential units, marinas, entertainment outlets and other amenities
Part of the area will be transformed into a rainforest, intended to rejuvenate the nearby Prince Philip Park
The project drew concerns from local conservation groups who claimed it was unfriendly to the public and lacking in transparency. They also launched a petition to stop the project
Due to the concerns raised, a special environmental impact assessment report on the project was released in 2016 to share feedback and recommendations from the public. - FMT

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