KOTA KINABALU, April 2026 - During the debate session of the 17th Sabah State Assembly (DUN), the Member of the Legislative Assembly (ADUN) for Api-Api, YB Loi Kok Liang, raised various issues concerning the current situation of the people in Kota Kinabalu, including basic infrastructure problems, the economy, abandoned projects, and the rising cost of living.
Starting his speech, he said the content of the Government's Policy Speech delivered by the Yang Di-Pertua was very impressive, but the actual situation on the ground still showed a significant gap compared to the depiction stated in the speech.
According to him, the current economic situation is very challenging with more and more traders having to sell their businesses due to inability to survive, in addition to many vacant premises that are not rented and development projects that remain abandoned.
He also emphasized that basic issues such as water and electricity supply continue to affect the lives of the people, including in urban areas.
Touching on the issue of streetlights in Kota Kinabalu, YB Loi said the problem of broken streetlights persists with complaints taking months without resolution. He stated that this situation impacts the safety and daily lives of residents.
He believes that the issue of cable theft is not something that cannot be resolved and suggested that punishments be tightened and stricter actions be taken against those who buy stolen cables.
“As long as the root cause of the problem is not resolved, we will only continue to repeat the same issues,” he said.
On the issue of water supply, he informed that several areas in the city center such as KK Plaza, Sinsuran, and Jalan Gaya experienced serious water supply disruptions lasting up to three to four days earlier this month.
He stated that he had requested assistance for water tankers from the Water Department but did not receive any feedback, causing him to use his own money to purchase and distribute mineral water to affected residents and traders.
He also questioned the organization of the Songkran running event while the urban area was experiencing water disruptions, including the use of water trucks to spray participants of the event.
He said this situation creates a negative perception among the people who had to face water supply shortages for several days.
“Imagine, a tourist just enjoyed the fun of playing with water at the event, but when they return to the hotel, there is no water at all,” he said.
He suggested that the government consider compensation for the people who incur additional costs due to water supply disruptions and assess the appropriateness of approving large-scale events during a water supply crisis.
At the same time, he requested the government to consider a mechanism that allows opposition representatives to also contribute their views in the allocation of development funds through the Community Development Leader Unit (UPPM).
According to him, elected representatives better understand the actual needs of their respective areas and their involvement is crucial to ensure that assistance reaches those who truly need it.
YB Loi also raised the issue of the sewage system in areas such as Kg Air, Sinsuran, and Jalan Pantai, which he claimed frequently experience manhole overflow two or three times a month.
He stated that this situation not only affects local residents but also gives a negative image to the city of Kota Kinabalu as a tourist destination.
He requested the government to explain the long-term plan to resolve the sewage issues in the city center and whether the capacity of services such as desludging trucks and water jetting trucks will be increased in the near future.
On the housing issue, he said many home buyers continue to bear loan payments even though housing projects have still failed to be completed within the promised timeframe.
He cited the Crown project, which he said raises concerns among buyers due to prolonged delays and uncertainty.
Additionally, he mentioned problematic projects such as Triconic Tower and Pacific City, which to date still burden buyers with bank loan commitments.
In this regard, he requested the government to take a more active role, including facilitating negotiations with banks to help restructure loan payments or reduce the financial burden on affected buyers.
He also raised the issue of property buyer protection by referring to the case involving The Loft at Imago.
According to him, buyers claim that the project was promoted as a “servicing residence” that allows short stay operations, but after obtaining the OC, the building management prohibited such activities based on clauses in the sale and purchase agreement.
He said this raises questions about whether existing laws are sufficient to ensure that what is advertised by developers is truly delivered to buyers.
On the economic issue, YB Loi stated that the rise in construction material prices in Sabah risks causing more projects to be delayed or abandoned.
He also touched on the increase in electricity and gas costs, which he said will ultimately be passed on to consumers through higher prices of goods and services.
“This is a cycle that harms the economy,” he said.
As a step to reduce the burden on the people, he suggested that the Sabah government review parking rates in Kota Kinabalu by aligning red and yellow parking rates to the green rate of 53 cents per hour.
He also suggested that parking fines be reduced from RM30 to RM10 as it was previously.
He said this measure could be implemented temporarily for one or two years to help the people cope with the difficult economic situation.
At the same time, he also requested clarification regarding the proposal to implement a “waiting period” for users of the Smart Parking application who missed extending their parking duration to avoid being fined.
At the end of his speech, he emphasized that all elected representatives, whether from the government or the opposition, have the same goal of serving the people.
He stated that government departments should cooperate with all elected representatives regardless of political position.
“If there is any directive that government departments cannot brief opposition representatives, I would like to state clearly that Api-Api does not support this matter,” he said.
He also requested the Speaker of the House to allow the motion brought by the ADUN of Kepayan to be presented and debated before the 17th Sabah DUN session ends.
