SANDAKAN, Nov 23 (Bernama) -- There are those who have labelled Sandakan, once famed for its ‘Little Hong Kong’ moniker, thanks to its streets lined with old buildings that are similar to iconic streets in Hong Kong, a ghost town, especially at night, as it has been steadily surpassed by newer satellite towns such as Prima, Labuk and Letat Jaya.
Sandakan MP Vivian Wong Shir Yee, however, disagrees with that label as she points out how busy things can be in the mornings, especially in Sandakan’s main market, which remains the beating heart of the local community.
Vivian, 36, is the Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for Elopura state seat in the 17th Sabah state election, and is known for her determination to revive Sandakan. She notes the various efforts to rejuvenate the town area, including the re-opening of the Four Points Hotel by Ormond Hotel, a renowned boutique hotel chain.
She told Bernama that she was convinced the hotel would not only stimulate the local economy with the arrival of more tourists, but also create almost 200 new jobs for youth in Sandakan.
“With the hotel’s reopening, economic activities and business premises are expected to operate till late night, returning the town to its former glory,” she said, adding that rejuvenation efforts were conducted together with the Sandakan Municipal Council, and included repainting old buildings along Singapore Street and raising the level of cleanliness in the town.
“My mission, together with Tanjong Papat candidate, Tang Suz Ching is to revive Sandakan as the twon area is within the Tanjong Papat constituency,” Vivian said.
Trader Ahmad Musa, 58, admitted that following the COVID-19 pandemic, Sandakan seemed like a dead town at night, forcing most business premises to operate until 6 pm only.
“After the pandemic, it can be said that sales dropped by 70 per cent as the local community did not visit town due to the rapid development in new areas.
“I see the need for local authorities to open a pasar malam in the town area if they want to revive the economic activities. When you have a pasar malam, I can open my shop till 9 pm or 10 pm,” he said, adding that even though there were streets adorned with murals, it was not enough to attract people and suggested that the authorities consider more creative approaches..
To shop worker Norhanina Abdullah, 23, Lorong Warisan, which was popular among tourists, has began to lose its charm in recent years.
“There are many in the morning as they work and some go to market to buy daily necessities, but after 9 pm or 10 pm this area is quiet.
“At this phone shop, we used to be able to sell up to 10 mobile phones a day, but now to sell even two is tough,” she added.
Elopura, with 39,004 voters, and Tanjong Papat, with 16,767 voters, are under the Sandakan parliamentary constituency.
Sabah voters will cast their ballots on Nov 29, with early voting taking place on Nov 25. — Bernama
