“I was born in the old town. My parents run a grocery store in the middle of Sandakan. My father used to make ‘dacing’ (scales) for a living. So, I can say that I am the son of the ‘dacing’,” he said referring to the Barisan Nasional (BN) logo.
Tan said his role in the state government has helped tremendously in delivering his promises to Tanjung Papat’s electorate, especially in bringing physical development.
Many high-impact projects have been carried out, particularly the new northern ring road that eased traffic from the old road.
“Since the road was completed in 2004, there has been rapid housing and commercial development along this northern ring road. Suddenly, everyone wants to live there. Prior to 2004, that stretch was deserted,” he said.
Other projects include the new central market, Four Points by Sheraton hotel, upgrading of Sandakan’s beachfront, the harbour square and many others which Tan said brought financial and social benefits to the people.
All these upgrades also boosted Sandakan’s tourism industry.
He said he was told by hotel operators that they are always fully booked while tour operators are clamouring for more hotel rooms to accommodate the influx of tourists.
Tan is also on a mission to put into action the advice he received from Singapore’s prime minister Lee Hsien Loong on how Sandakan, the former capital of British North Borneo, can be more like Singapore and Penang.
“Sandakan is an old town and the buildings are old. But Lee advised me that in order to stay relevant, we don’t have to demolish old shops. Just rejuvenate their interior, make them new.
“This concept worked in Singapore and Penang and I want to make it work in Sandakan too because we have many old buildings here,” he said to FMT.
The challenge, however, is to convince building owners on his vision.
He also has to track down the owners of abandoned buildings such as the old Rex cinema near the town’s field as well as the now abandoned Wisma Sandakan.
“This needs to be done. Otherwise, Sandakan cannot compete with the newer towns,” he said.
Tanjung Papat sits within the Sandakan parliamentary constituency and currently has 16,770 voters. About 53% of these voters are Chinese while 39% are Muslim Bumiputera and the remaining 8% are non-Muslim Bumiputera.
The main pillar of the economy here is commerce. Being the centre of administration for Sandakan district, many of Tan’s voters unsurprisingly work in the public sector.
Tan first won the Tanjung Papat seat in 1994 on the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) banner, and retained it in subsequent elections.
However, he left SAPP in 2008 after the party pulled out of Barisan Nasional (BN) and joined Gerakan in the following year.
In the 2013 general election, he garnered 6,153 votes to beat his closest contender from DAP, Poon Ming Fung, who managed 4,631 votes. The third candidate was Yong Chie Man, from SAPP, who lost his deposit with only 191 votes.
Tan, who is also the state industrial development minister, said this year Sandakan is set to get its first federal funded Urban Transformation Centre (UTC).
“The budget is already there and once completed, it would change the face of Sandakan old town. More people will come and businesses will thrive again. This is a game changer for Sandakan,” he said.
While he believed he has done the best for Sandakan, he admitted he cannot satisfy everybody and there are bound to be problems that are difficult to resolve, such as the sewage system.
However, he said, problems such as these are not left unattended as alleged by Sabah DAP chairman and Sandakan MP Stephen Wong.
“The problem with Stephen is he has a selective memory problem. The way he talks shows that he forgot the good things done in Sandakan by the state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Musa Aman.
“He forgot about the harbour square or the Four Points or the beachfront. People do not forget. But it seems that Stephen forgets too easily,” he said.
Tan said that since he has done so much for the constituency, he is confident BN will continue to keep the seat and could even wrest Sandakan from DAP in the coming election.
“Sandakan Chinese are not stupid. Five years ago, Stephen told the people to give him the chance to make a change. This is five years later. Everybody has a report card. The only thing he is good at is coming up with press statements.
“The people of Sandakan should vote for development and progress. The government can address the needs of the people. DAP cannot form the government in Sabah,” he said.