SABAH is attempting, for the third time, to develop the Tanjung Aru beachfront in Kota Kinabalu, dubbed one of the “best places on earth” to view the sunset.

Chief Minister Shafie Apdal two days ago released snippets of the development plans, promising to limit new buildings to only the northern side of the cape that extends out to the South China Sea.

Shafie was careful not to reveal detailed plans and for good reason. 

Plans to develop Tanjung Aru by the previous Barisan Nasional state government drew strong protests over the loss of public space, lack of project transparency and the proposed land reclamation.

In 2013, the BN government mooted a RM7.1 billion development which it called the Tanjung Aru Eco Development (TAED) project. It added RM1.8 billion for beach reclamation.

In the original plan, the development would have created eight zones – the Prince Phillip Park, Prince Philip Wharf, Aru Gateway, Aru Village, Aru Oceanfront, Aru Marina and Golf Retreat, as well as the construction of a 42m wide canal for up to 6km.

The eco-signature golf course would have been designed by pro golfer Greg Norman.

It would have seen the construction of several hotels totalling 1,800 rooms, 22 residential developments with more than 4,000 new dwellings, a water theme park, dedicated cycling lanes and electric bus lines.

For the reclamation, the earthworks would be sourced 55km from the sea, while floodgates would be constructed to control the level of water in the canal to avoid sand erosion during low and high tide, as well as strong waves.

These ambitious plans would have turned Tanjung Aru into a playground for the rich and famous. Those against it wanted the cape’s beachfront, just five minutes from Kota Kinabalu, to be left as it is, fully accessible to the public. Currently, the only major hotel at the tip of the cape is the Shangri-La resort.

Every afternoon, locals and tourists alike stroll the Prince Philip Park adjacent to Tanjung Aru’s beach, enjoying the sight and sounds of the blue-naped parrots flocking to the casuarina trees. 

As evening nears, hawkers set up food and drink stalls along the 1.3km beachfront. Hundreds of people gather, drinks in hand, to find a spot where they can kick back and watch the sun set over the South China Sea.

Locals are worried that if the cape is developed, it would mark an end of the food and drinks stalls and the loss of birds from a nearby park.

The TAED project became political fodder in the 14th general election last May.

Leaders from Shafie’s Warisan, which was seeking to oust the BN from state power, pledged to stop the TAED project while campaigning during GE14.

Junz Wong, now the Tanjung Aru assemblyman and a state minister as well as Warisan vice-president,  promised to stop the project.

Now, after Shafie’s announcement during Chinese New Year recently, it is clear the state has plans to develop the beachfront, albeit on a smaller scale.

According to Shafie, only the first portion or the northern part of the beach is designated for resorts and hotels.  

“The southern portion of the beachfront will undergo some light developments to woo tourists. But largely both the first and second beach will be left untouched.”

Shafie said the project was too important to give up and that investments were needed to generate jobs for Sabahans.

“Some 3,000 houses will also be built to cater to Tanjung Aru folk who might be affected by the development under a mixed development earmarked in the revised project,” he said. 

Although lacking in details, the revised Tanjung Aru development looks set to plough ahead despite Warisan’s GE14 promises.

Environmental groups have yet to comment on Shafie’s latest announcement.

In 2014, after the then BN government announced TAED, various civil society groups banded together to form the Tanjung Aru Action Group 2.0. The groups comprised WWF-Malaysia, Himpunan Hijau, Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP), PACOS Trust, Pusat Belia Youth-PREP Alamesra (YPC), Sabah Environmental Protection Association (SEPA), Sabah Women’s Action-Resources Group (SAWO) and Save Open Spaces Kota Kinabalu. – February 13, 2019.