Chong: Don't delay rebuilding Donggongon Market
 PENAMPANG,
Jun 24, 2010: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) urged the State Government to
keep its promise to rebuild the Donggongon market that was burnt down
during the Pesta Kaamatan celebration last month.
Its
Information Chief, Chong Pit Fah said the party received a lot of calls about
the erratic situation at the Donggongon Tamu ground because the hawkers from the burnt down market had
to share the stalls with its tamu hawkers here.
"Despite the promise made by Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman during his
speech at the Pesta Kaamatan in Hongkod Koisaan, KDCA on May 31 that the
market will be rebuilt quickly but nothing has yet to be seen.
"The delay is causing a lot of inconveniences to the hawkers and to the
public as they have to cope with confused situation in the tamu market now.
Chong is also afraid that there
were talks that interested parties are (with hidden agenda) eyeing the
market site with the intention to build a big shopping mall instead.
"We hope this is not true and we, SAPP, is prepared to go all out to
object it.
 "This
market is the place for the local people to earn income, many of them come
from far away villages. The government should be concerned about
them," he said after visiting the site and the market at the Tamu ground
accompanied by SAPP Kibabaig Chief, Florian Chong.
Chong who was a former Deputy Chairman of the Penampang District Council
said he also knew that the market is insured for RM600,000.
"If the private sector can settle the insurance claim quickly why can't
the government do it as well?" he asked.
Towards this end, Chong proposed that the District Council provide the
hawkers a temporary site for them to sell their goods instead of forcing
them to share the Tamu ground, which had sparked tensions among the
hawkers.
The Donggongon Hawkers Association complaints bureau chief, Tony Undara
who met with Chong and Florian said the hawkers at the Tamu ground were
facing problems due to operating schedule and the rigid regulations
enforced by the District Council.
"We are only selling for two and a half days a week whereas they (hawkers
from the burnt down market) are operating from Saturday to Wednesday,"
said Undara.
 On Wednesday, the
"changeover" process turned chaotic as Undara and other
hawkers at the Tamu ground were not allowed to prepare their items for
sales a few hours earlier from 5pm, which was the time set for them to
start operation.
"It is troublesome for us. They cannot expect us to come at 5pm and
immediately start to sell? We have to prepare and arrange our goods first
but this is causing problem because the hawkers from the burnt down market
are still occupying the stalls," he said.
"We hope the District Council would be more fair and flexible by allowing
us to prepare our goods earlier before we start selling at 5pm," he said. |
