Anwar asked to visit congested Tawau Airport

TAWAU (Sept 7): Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Datuk Chin Su Phin has urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to personally visit Tawau Airport to observe the actual situation at the airport, especially the congestion passengers have to endure and the dilapidated state of its facilities.

Chin said the Federal Government should consider the Tawau Airport as an isolated case and directly appoint a reputable contractor to upgrade its facilities immediately within three months given the urgency of the matter.

He said the need to upgrade Tawau Airport has been a longstanding issue.

In 2018, Chin said Datuk Christina Liew, who was the Tawau Member of Parliament then, had applied to the government to upgrade the airport.

“At that time, the Tawau Airport recorded 1.64 million passengers, which exceeded its previous passenger throughput 1.4 million, making it the fourth busiest airport in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) and Penang Airport,” he said that at LDP Sri Tanjong, Merotai, Balung and Lahad Datu joint divisional conference cum elections here on Saturday.

He pointed out that Tawau Airport is also the gateway to world renowned diving sites, Mabul and Sipadan islands, which have attracted tourists from all over the globe, especially those from China.

On July 25 last year, Chin said Malaysia Airports Sdn Bhd (MASB) had announced an allocation of RM11 million to upgrade Tawau Airport.

He said the State Government and Liew, now the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, have been working hard at securing the allocation for Tawau Airport’s upgrading works.

“However, works have yet to commence at Tawau Airport. We are uncertain whether the delay is due to the lack of funding or other issues.

“We are not demanding the government to build a new airport, but to give the existing building a facelift.
“Why is it taking so long to do the proposal or appoint a contractor for the job?”
Chin said the old and appalling conditions of the toilets at the airport is an embarrassment to the country, given that the airport receives tourists from all over the world.

He said the airport also receives direct flights from China but lacks the capacity to cope with the number of passengers.

“If the number of direct flights to Tawau continues to increase, which it will, the airport will not be able to handle the drastic rise in passengers.”

Although the State Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe has informed that Federal Transport Minister Anthony Loke had specially approved the plan to upgrade facilities at the Tawau Airport, and the tender process had begun a few weeks ago and is expected to be completed by the end of this year, the project should have commenced as soon as possible given the urgency of the matter, Chin said.

“The upgrading project may take another year to complete after the appointed contractor commences work at the end of this year.

“It is not an immediate solution to alleviate the unpleasant situation at Tawau Airport.”

Hence, he urged Anwar to visit the Tawau Airport and observe the actual situation on the ground.

“We hope that the Prime Minister would exercise his prerogative and directly appoint a contractor to undertake and complete the upgrading of Tawau Airport in two to three months.

“We do understand that the Federal Government led by Anwar champions the Malaysia Madani concept that strives for transparency in its administration.

“However, the upgrading of Tawau Airport should be prioritized and treated as an isolated case.”

Taking KKIA as an example, Chin said the contractor appointed by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) has yet to complete the upgrading works of the toilets at the airport despite having spent months on the project.

He stressed that the government should have appointed reputable and capable contractors who could get the job done in one to two months, to avoid months of delay on urgent projects.

He added that the government should formulate long-term plans to expand Tawau Airport to cope with the increasing number of passengers, particularly the huge demand that arises following the relocation of Indonesia’s capital to Kalimantan.

On a related note, Chin said most tourists who fly to Tawau travel directly to Semporna upon arriving at the airport, which does not benefit the economy in Tawau.

“The State Government and Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment should work with the private sector to organize events such as international food festivals or other attractions to entice tourists to stay one or two nights in Tawau.”

Chin added that the government should capitalize on the relocation of Indonesia’s capital to Kalimantan by building a highway connecting Tawau to the new capital, which then links to Sabah and Sarawak via the Pan Borneo Highway.

“This massive road network will accelerate the development and economic growth of Sabah.”

On another note, Chin paid homage to the late vice president Thien Kui Sang from Tawau and Supreme Council member Wong Chung On from Sandakan, who passed away recently.

Thien had reached out to Chin in the last party election to convey his desire to serve the LDP as a vice president, as the party president has the prerogative to appoint two vice presidents in the echelon.

“I appointed Thien as vice president and it is with much regret that his service to the party was cut short.

“Both Thien and Wong were loyal to the LDP till the end, especially Thien, who even wore the LDP uniform at his funeral.

“I am incredibly moved by their unwavering loyalty.”

Chin said the party had experienced challenging periods for the past 30 years since its inception, including its leadership crisis and transition from a ruling to opposition party, before joining Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).

“Many of our veteran members, especially Thien and Wong, have never deserted the party even during tough times.

“I hope our younger members will see our senior members as role models and emulate their commitment to the party’s struggles.”

Chin continued to say that LDP has been undergoing the process of reinvigoration by recruiting more young bloods for the past few years.

He believed that younger members would constitute 90 per cent of the leadership in the upcoming party election.

Meanwhile, Wong Min Kong, Max Voo Min Chung, Sim Lee Fui and Yong Khim Vun were elected as LDP divisional chairmen on Saturday.

LDP Sri Tanjong, Merotai, Balung and Lahad Datu divisions held their joint conference cum elections for the term 2024-2027 here.

Wong were elected as the chairman of Balung division, Voo the chairman of Merotai division, Sim the chairman of Sri Tanjong division and Yong as chairman of Lahad Datu division.

Voo said party members should gear up for the upcoming Sabah state elections.

“Although there are many challenges in Tawau, I believe we can overcome the obstacles and regain our glory if all the members stay united.”

He also hoped that the top leadership led by Chin will negotiate with GRS to allow the party to field its candidate in at least one of the constituencies in Tawau.

He further urged all party members and voters to support GRS candidates in the upcoming state election in order for GRS to continue its leadership in Sabah.