Intensified checks, monthly gotong-royong lined up for Semporna eateries

KOTA KINABALU: Monthly gotong-royong clean-ups and intensified checks on food outlets are part of the immediate action plan to tidy up Sabah’s “dirty” east coast town of Semporna, says Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam.

The Deputy Chief Minister II said regular and more thorough inspections of kitchen cleanliness at restaurants and hotels will start immediately.

He also said the Semporna district council, together with other government agencies, will hold group clean-up sessions or gotong-royong with the cooperation of all hoteliers, restaurants and travel agencies every month.

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“These are the short-term measures being taken to tackle the issues of cleanliness and hygiene,” Dr Gunsalam, who is also state Local Government and Housing Minister, said in a statement Tuesday (Aug 22).

He said his ministry had also ordered the district council to carry out more systematic cleaning and monitoring.

Semporna came into the spotlight after Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing issued a warning that he might issue red notices to operators who do not clean up their act, following complaints from tourists about the town’s filthy conditions and lack of hygiene.

Dr Gunsalam also said his ministry had allowed the district council to renew a company’s garbage collection and cleaning services contract in Semporna waters for five more months.

However, he said he would head to Semporna soon to take a first-hand look into claims that there were problems with garbage collection, especially from the islands.

“Some quarters have informed me of problems in the collection of garbage from the islands but the council has refuted this. I will go there to check for myself,” he said.

ALSO READ: Semporna needs major mindset change to ditch untidy image, locals say

Another area to be resolved in the long term, Dr Gunsalam said, was for private jetty operators to upgrade their facilities in order to accommodate the growing number of tourists using them daily.

His ministry was also prepared to use a number of bylaws to compel businesses to comply with hygiene and safety requirements, he added.

He said the Semporna district council and other agencies, including the Health Department, had already held a dialogue with tourism, hotel and food operators on Monday (Aug 21).