SAPP secretary-general Richard Yong said the state government should at least state whether the Tanjung Aru beaches still remain as public assets.
Yong accused the state cabinet of being in disarray and not of one mind, with inconsistent opinions on the project, which he said would create doubt about their integrity and abilities.
He said he was amused that the Tanjung Aru assemblyman Junz Wong and Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew had just recently expressed their opposition to the project only to hear the Chief Minister, Shafie Apdal, telling the state assembly that it may continue after all.
Shafie told the assembly that the project would be reviewed and could not be scrapped as it is too important for the state.
Yong, who is also chairman of SAPP Tanjung Aru, said his party was firm and clear that Tanjung Aru beaches should continue to be fully accessible to the public, and that the government should use the land to create more open space for family recreation and provide all sort of public facilities.
“People don’t want to see a government that only pursues the high-end commercial development projects, they want a government that cares about the general public’s rights and interests,” he said.
Yong pointed out that Parti Warisan Sabah and Pakatan Harapan had made election campaign promises to scrap the billion-ringgit project. He said Shafie should not be vague about his plan for the project now that Warisan and PH were in power.
The project, on 861 acres of land, with 100 hectares (253 acres) to be reclaimed, is a proposed mixed development involving hotels, residential units, marinas, entertainment outlets and other amenities.