Sabah mulling use of dirty coal for energy

KOTA KINABALU - The state government will conduct a detailed study on proposals to use coal as an alternative energy source in Sabah, said state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew.

Liew said her ministry had taken note of such calls but that a thorough study was needed to assess the impact, particularly on the environment and tourism sector.

“We will take into account government policies, including on preserving nature, when we look into suggestions to build a power-generation facility using coal,” she said in her budget winding-up speech at the state assembly today.

In September, Liew acknowledged that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had raised the issue of coal mining during his visit to Sabah during the Malaysia Day celebrations.

She said, however, that the matter was still at the discussion stage.

Following that, opposition members slammed the government for considering such a proposal. Former chief minister Yong Tek Lee said any move to bring back coal as a source of energy was a cause for concern after previous efforts to stop its use.

Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) president Jeffrey Kitingan also hit out at Chief Minister Shafie Apdal for welcoming Putrajaya’s proposal to bring back coal, saying the Warisan head should have immediately shot down the suggestion and not even let it proceed to the discussion stage.

Elevating Sandakan, Tawau airports

Meanwhile, Liew said the state government had proposed to the federal government for the airports in Sandakan and Tawau to be elevated to international airports.

She said these two east coast districts are poised to become alternative entry points for foreign tourists.

“If this becomes a reality, the tourism industry in the east coast will continue to grow.

“My ministry has identified Tawau, Lahad Datu and Semporna as new tourism hubs and due attention will be given to these districts,” she said.

Liew also said her ministry will concentrate more on promotion efforts to expand the domestic market as it was more stable than the international market.

This included working with AirAsia to bring in domestic key opinion leaders from the media and social media to promote routes from KL and Johor to Sabah destinations as well as offering promotional domestic airfares, she added.

Karanaan assemblyman Masidi Manjun yesterday said while Sabah enjoyed good business with many Chinese tourists coming in, it was dangerous to be over-dependent on visitors from China.

“High-end tourists have moved to other parts of the world now. We have the volume but the tourists don’t have the spending power… that’s not good for us,” Masidi said.

Instead, Sabah should place more attention on domestic tourists who, according to him, have as much spending power as Chinese visitors.