No more gag order, says Yeo
Published on: Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: All City Hall (DBKK) department heads are now free to speak to the media, said Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai.He said he had discontinued his predecessor's gag order that only the Mayor could issue any media statements for DBKK."You remember. It applied to me as well," he said when asked by Daily Express on the matter, prior to the launching of 25th Earoph World Congress at a hotel here Tuesday morning.
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Yeo welcomed the participants from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Denmark, Australia, Brunei and various Malaysian states to Sabah's Nature Resort City."I was made to understand that Earoph or Eastern Regional Organisation for Planning and Human Settlement is an international non-governmental organisation under Unescap (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Asia Pacific)."This is indeed a very significant event as it fosters the exchange of insights and experiences among countries in the Asia Pacific region, and we are proud to be part of this biennial congress."I believe the theme for discussion, which is "Our Urban Futures – Sustainable and Resilient", is the most relevant, especially to Kota Kinabalu, which is a fast growing city facing all kinds of challenges to support growth and in balancing urbanisation with environment management and conservation," said Yeo.
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He said managing the needs of the half million people living in Kota Kinabalu City was not an easy task."With the growing population, it is a challenge for us, as local authority and city managers, where by more people in the city means greater needs for goods and services, roads, houses, employment, health and education.
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"When these are made available, more and more people are attracted to cities and urban areas. It is a perpetual cycle that is a phenomenon throughout the world."On the other hand, cities consume more and more energy as they grow and develop; more solid waste generated due to increasing human activities; and more pollution." Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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