KOTA KINABALU: The state government will be conducting a study to determine the best way to implement a monorail system in Kota Kinabalu to help ease worsening traffic congestion in the city.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said a request to build the public transportation system had already been forwarded to the relevant federal ministry but the State will have to study the matter further.
Disclosing this at the State Assembly sitting here yesterday, he said the government fully realised the traffic congestion issue in the state capital and had been working to identify suitable measures to address the problem.
“We will also look into the various suggestions given in this assembly, including by Luyang representative (Dr Hiew King Cheu) to build more flyovers to help ease traffic flow. We have requested for allocation from the federal government and one or two more flyovers will probably be built soon,” he said.
Hiew had brought up the proposed monorail system during his debate, which had been floated by various quarters in recent years, urging the government to implement it as soon as possible, together with the construction of flyovers at strategic intersections in and around the city.
Another opposition leader, Tamparuli assemblyman Datuk Seri Wilfred Bumburing, had proposed for the state to request RM1 billion from the federal government to improve the existing railway from Kota Kinabalu to Putatan.
He said upgrading the existing train service into a more reliable system that could be better utilised by the public to commute daily would not only help address traffic congestion but also the safety concerns involving the many crossings along the railways from Kota Kinabalu to Papar.
“If they can allocate tens of billions for a monorail in Peninsular Malaysia, I don’t think it would be a problem to give a fraction of that for the same purpose in Sabah,” Wilfred said.
Meanwhile, touching on the issue of high price of houses in Sabah brought up by the Api-Api representative, Musa said the government practices open market and have limited power in controlling the price of properties in the state.
He said the prices were driven by demand and supply in the market but the government will always try its best to ensure there are affordable houses for everyone.
Apart from implementing various housing projects for the poor and lower income groups, Musa said the government had also advised and worked with developers to bring down the cost of houses.
“We always tell the developers to not focus solely on profit by providing houses for higher income buyers and they should also think about lowering the prices for the lower income group.
“This way, not only would foreigners and expatriates be able to invest in properties in Sabah but all Sabahans could also benefit from the booming property industry,” he said.
“Frankly speaking, I, as the Chief Minister, am concerned that the prices of our houses will be the same as in Kuala Lumpur. Some people told me that we should be proud because it means we are on par with the national capital and that foreigners would be more interested to invest in properties in Sabah.
“That is true, but it would only benefit foreign investors and not the common people of Sabah. For them, we want cheaper, affordable houses so everyone can own a home,” Musa said.