Just behind Sabah’s largest shopping mall, the 1Borneo Hypermall, lies a sprawling settlement that was once a mangrove forest.
The scenic Nexus Karambunai Resort is a 10-minute drive from the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP), while slightly further away is the Sepanggar Bay port, packed with shipping containers.
Nearby lies the Royal Malaysian Navy base, which has the only submarine facility in Borneo.
And down the hill from the state legislative assembly building with its distinctive sloping roof is a seaside fishing settlement.
Karambunai has also evolved into an educational hub with the likes of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), the UiTM Sabah campus and Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic.
In the centre of all this is lawyer Jainab Ahmad Ayid, the three-term Karambunai state assemblywoman who has been juggling the needs of those who live, study and work in the area since 2004.
For Jainab, who is state community development and consumer affairs minister, overseeing Karambunai has been among others a matter of pushing for a mixed bag of small and major projects.
She is proud that over the past five years, no less than 100 low-cost houses have been provided for poor families and another 250 poor families have had their homes repaired.
At the same time, refurbishment has been carried out on mosques and community halls while roads to the dozens of villages and settlements in Karambunai have been repaired.
‘Small and big’ concerns
Jainab said she is satisfied knowing that a RM66 million, 600-metre tunnel that cuts travel time to the Sepanggar Port by about 30 minutes was completed under her watch.
“Much has been done since 2013 but there’s still more to do,” she said, adding that tackling the “small and big” concerns of Karambunai folk will remain her focus.
At the same time, concrete measures are being taken to resolve the serious traffic snarls along Jalan Sulaman with the construction of several flyovers on that stretch.
“Resolving the traffic jam problem in Sepanggar remains a priority, as does overcoming the persistent flooding in certain parts of the constituency.
“Then there are the social problems including prevalence of drug abuse in certain hotspots, such as squatter areas,” Jainab said.
The constituency has a population breakdown comprising 65% Muslim Bumiputeras, 23% non-Muslim Bumiputeras and 10% Chinese.
Karambunai, along with Inanam, are the two state seats within the Sepanggar parliamentary constituency.
Jainab won Karambunai with a 8,532-vote majority in the 2013 polls against four other contenders.
That was more than double the 3,018 majority she received in the 2008 elections.
Five years ago, Jainab obtained 14,074 votes while her closest rival Muali Aching of PKR garnered 5,542 votes.
The five-cornered contest saw Aziz Ibrahim of SAPP securing 1,977 votes while independents Rano Susulan and Ag Maidin Ag Apong received 916 and 171 votes, respectively.
Jainab said despite a better showing in 2013, she was not taking anything for granted this time around.
“My message to Karambunai folk has always been that it is only the Barisan Nasional government that can solve their multitude of problems.
“If they have any issues or concerns, bring it up with me or anyone in the government to resolve them. There’s no use pointing fingers. Nothing gets done.
“Ultimately, I hope Karambunai folk will make the right choice so that development of this vibrant area will continue unhindered.”