The BN government has transformed this former fishing village into a sea transportation hub for the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines - East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), which has a population of over 60 million people.
"Sepanggar has the ingredients to help drive economic activities, such as logistics, warehousing and a depot, as well as other amenities that can accommodate international requirements through its port," Federation of Sabah Manufacturers (FSM) president Datuk Wong Khen Thau told Bernama here recently.
He was discussing the overall transformation that took place in the Sepanggar parliamentary constituency since 1994.
Apart from Sepanggar Port, Sepanggar, consisting of two state seats - Karambunai and Inanam, which has the potential to become a corridor for education, as well as serving as an industrial centre for Sabah by providing tens of thousands of jobs for local residents.
Wong said the government has put in place all necessary infrastructure, such as roads, housing areas, and commercial and industrial centers, to generate economic activities for area residents.
Among these facilities and infrastructures are the 1Borneo Hypermall, Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP), independent power plants, five-star hotels, including a world-class resort in Karambunai, research centres, training institutions besides Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).
CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT
Wong attributed the progress enjoyed by Sepanggar's people to the unrelenting efforts of the BN government in giving priority to the interests of the population, irrespective of race, culture or beliefs, as envisaged by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in the 1Malaysia concept.
He also acknowledged the closer rapport between the government and private sector, which made it easier for development to be put in place.
"As far as I can see, the government is serious about developing Sepanggar. It all started with the government's plans to develop Sepanggar, in all aspects, for the good of the people and the state and transform it into a dynamic area.
"As a result of the rapid development, we can see a spin-off of benefits to the local people, business community, as well as the government.
"So Sepanggar should be developing towards that in the future. Because if you look at Sepanggar, you have the industry there, you also have the educational and training institutions there that back up the kind of labour with the right skills that are needed," he said.
Many people, including the business community, acknowledged that the Sabah BN government has been instrumental in promoting industrial development in Sepanggar, thus giving people a chance to enjoy tremendous development.
Further, a community leader in Inanam, Rocky Mabin, concurs with Wong's views on the changed landscape of development in Sepanggar, which is growing from strength to strength.
He said, although Sepanggar Parliamentary constituency is now held by the opposition Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), this does not hinder its development, including in Karambunai state constituency, which is represented by BN's Datuk Jainab Ahmad.
Citing KKIP as an example, he said its industrial and manufacturing activities are robust, offering thousands of jobs to residents, along with a major naval base project for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).
He further said the existence of two new townships in Inanam and Menggatal, along with programmes created by the government to improve the people's livelihoods, such as 1Azam and microcredit lending at Tekun Nasional and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, have raised the population's incomes.
"Economic activities are abuzz since these townships were built and where many commercial banks and offices are being set up.
"This also led to more infrastructure being built for the benefit of the people, not only in towns and surrounding townships, but also in rural areas," he said.
BETTER ROADS
According to Rocky, the most significant effort by the BN government is the upgrading of roads, which not only allowed accessibility, but also play an important role in improving the people's economy, especially farmers in rural areas.
He noted that several roads have been upgraded, with a recent one, the RM80 million Kokol-Porong-Poring road completed in December last year, which leads to villages as well as the Kiansom Tourism Centre where the world-famous Kiansom Waterfall is located.
He said while several roads are being, or will be, upgraded as part of the 10th Malaysia Plan, new roads are also being constructed, such as Jalan Binaong Baru at Telipok, Jalan Mansiang Kolonsi at Menggatal and Jalan Kitobu, Inanam, which will link up with Jalan Tindai in Penampang.
Apart from roads, Rocky said he was pleased to note that basic facilities, such as clean water and electricity, are also available in all the villages, as well as the building of schools, clinics and low cost housing.
In this aspect, he thanked the state government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, for the initiatives.
"Even our YB (State Assemblyman for Inanam) Datuk Johnny Goh is working relentlessly in the best interest of the Inanam constituents," he said.
CHILDREN'S INTERESTS
Technician Mohd Shahrie Matbi, 22, feels fortunate to live in a place where there is an abundance of opportunity in terms of education and employment.
Mohd Shahrie, who is the second of eight children, acknowledges the government's concern towards families with school-age children.
"I feel blessed that there are all these opportunities right at my doorstep. It hadn't always been easy growing up in a large household, even though both my parents had proper jobs.
"But thanks to the government's efforts and incentives in the form of free education, book vouchers for students and the RM500 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M), my younger school-going siblings are excited about their future and I even see other families, who are not well off like some of us, beginning to believe that there is so much hope for them in the future," he said.
Vegetable seller Chen Fui Shin, 62, was also grateful to the government for the RM500 aid which helped her purchase necessities to improve her small business.
"It shows that the government is not biased in helping the people, whether they are Malay, Chinese, Kadazan, or young or old. I feel very privileged to be able to work hard in comfort," said the bubbly lady as she prepared shallots for sale.
The mother of adult children said, ever since she began selling vegetables in 1985 at the Inanam market, she witnessed many improvements and developments and felt fortunate to be a part of it and wished she could share the splendor with her late-husband.
"I'm not rich, but I live well, I have good health thanks to good health practices and free health services, I have a good roof over my head, my children are married and independent and I am happy to be running my little vegetable business at this age," she added.
Chen's fellow vegetable sellers, Ailon Allen, 30, and his wife Lydia Toinsu, 28, said they felt blessed to be bringing up a family in a stable economy under the current administration.
"We're a young couple with two small children. If the government wasn't caring and concerned about the people's needs, life would have been tough for us," said Ailon.
Asked about the RM500 aid, he said it was like a windfall for his family and he spent it on taking care of his children's needs.
In fact, most of these residents are hoping for Najib to continue at the helm of the central government for years to come, thus delivering more `goodies' for the people, including those in Sepanggar.
"This also assures a better life for the people, including those in Sepanggar," Ailon added.
-- BERNAMA
