NGO wants TYT to step in over land reserve

Kota Kinabalu: The non-governmental group Save Open Spaces (SOS) wants the Head of State to reverse the revocation order of Sutera Harbour's Land Reserve for Public Park and allow the 4.5 acres of land reverted to a public park. This comes following May 19 news reports of the revocation of the said land Gazette Notification No 343 of 1996, involving the Lot No. 01200859 of Plan No. 901500008.

According to the NGO leader SM Muthu, when the reclamation of Sutera Harbour was launched in August 1994, former Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa) Henry Chok and several members visited the resort's office.

There, he said Sepa was briefed by the then Project Officer Foo Kia In that there will be large public space created and assured that the public would have access and right of view of the open sea.

"When the reclamation project was completed in July 2000, we did not see any public park. Sepa continued to incessantly question Foo over the whereabouts of the park.

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"Until one day, Foo brought Sepa members to an area at the tip of Sutera Harbour and showed an area and said 'here is your open space, you can develop it yourself'," said Muthu, adding that Foo had mentioned an area of about 15 acres.

According to him, SOS was curious that there is no recreational space created for the public in such a large development, adding that repeated inquiries with the Kota Kinabalu Municipal Council and later City Hall also drew 'blank faces.'

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"The people seem to be losing their rights to many public spaces and amenities. We hope the present Mayor (Datuk Yeo Boon Hai) can protect the rights of the city dwellers, particularly the recreational areas such as Sutera Harbour and the original Tanjung Aru Beach," he said.

Muthu said it was disappointing that open spaces reserved as public parks are being degazetted and used for other purposes as the city population continues to increase and citizens want more recreational spaces.

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