KUDAT – The sacred Mazu statue project at the seafront here, which was controversially halted nearly two decades ago following a conflict between two former Sabah chief ministers, will get a chance to be revived.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said she will bring the matter to the attention of the state government and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
She said this is at the request of the community who expressed hope that the present government will get the project restarted as it would do good for the district’s tourism.
“It will definitely be a tourism icon and boost the tourism sector in the district, just like the spectacular Tip of Borneo and other hotspots in Sabah.
“Whatever conflicts in the past can be resolved amicably to benefit the people of Kudat and its economy,” said Liew in a statement today.
Liew visited the site earmarked for the statue of Mazu, the Chinese goddess of the sea yesterday.
The construction plan was initiated in early 2005 but its letter of approval dated February 8, 2006 by the Kudat Town Board was withdrawn in November 2007.
The issue ended up in court after former chief minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat, who headed the Kudat Thean Hou Charitable Foundation, sued Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman and three other state government officers for ordering the withdrawal of the approval for the Mazu statue project.
Reports at the time suggested that the revocation stemmed from complaints as the statue, which would stand 26.8m tall, would be built close to a mosque.
Still, the state had also offered to provide compensation for the relocation of the statue but Chong had refused.
Chong filed a suit over the revocation of the projects but lost his bid when the Court of Appeal on Wednesday struck out his case on the technicality that his foundation, Kudat Thean Hou Charitable Foundation, was not registered. – The Vibes, March 24, 2023
