IMPROVING water supply, sanitation and waste management in Kampung Melayu Bumiputera Sim Sim will be the central priority for Pakatan Harapan’s Tanjong Papat candidate, Tang Szu Ching, as she heads into the 17th Sabah State Election.
Tang, 29, who is standing on a DAP ticket, said the water village’s chronic garbage problem and its lack of a proper sewerage system demand urgent and sustained intervention to ensure residents can live in more dignified and hygienic conditions.
“Although initiatives have been taken in collaboration with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to install garbage traps, the approach is not sustainable and is easily swept away,” she told Bernama. “We need a more proactive step to address this issue, including collaborating with local authorities to implement garbage collection programmes such as trash to cash, which also involve the local community.”
Tang emphasised that supporting young entrepreneurs, particularly those seeking to enter the public marketplace ecosystem, would also form a core pillar of her agenda. She pointed to a new policy introduced by the Sandakan Municipal Council (MPS), under which 30 per cent of trading opportunities in public markets are now reserved for new traders, especially youth.
As an MPS councillor herself, Tang said she intends to champion the aspirations, frustrations and needs of young people in the State Legislative Assembly.
Turning to Sandakan’s ongoing water woes, she said DAP leaders had already installed 32 water tanks at each main bridge in Kampung Melayu Bumiputera Sim Sim as a short-term measure. She noted that she and Sandakan MP Vivian Wong had spent the past week distributing water to affected water-village communities amid continued supply disruptions.
“Since saltwater intrusion occurred at the Segaliud Water Treatment Plant (LRA), many pipes have begun to rust and clog, reducing water pressure and affecting water distribution to village areas. Therefore, worn-out pipes across Sandakan must be replaced in stages to minimise future water supply disruptions,” she said. - November 16, 2025
