An unconcerned Kota Kinabalu City Hall has been urged to relocate the homeless in and around the city centre for the sake of tourism.
KOTA KINABALU: Alongside the thousands of stateless people prowling around Kota Kinabalu, comes a fresh problem – the homeless destitute Sabahans who cannot cope with the rising cost of living.
They find their comforts on benches at the local bus stops, under staircases and in the parks.
The sight of these citizens lying on sidewalks and uncared for has driven people to lodge complaints with the state welfare department.
But action has been slow in coming, notes state DAP vice-chairman Edward Mujie.
“Day by day there seems to be an increase in number of people sleeping on the streets in the city centre.
“It’s a worrying trend… both for these homeless and the KK folks. It’s not a pleasant sight,” he said.
The most recent case that caught his attention was a complaint about a man who has made his home at the taxi-cum-bus stand in Kampung Air.
“They tell me he sleeps here on the bus stop bench regularly and doesn’t seem to have a home.
“He is not a nuisance but he’s filthy and it’s an uneasy sight for people waiting for the bus.
“Some are frightened of him and are not sure if he is mentally sound or unsound,” he said, adding that the destitutes are not an unusual site in Kota Kinabalu these days.
Not so caring city
According to Mujie, there are hundreds of other “street sleepers” in and around the city centre.
“You can find them sleeping on streets pavements and under staircases… you’ll even find them in the garden on benches and on the ground.
“They are homeless and some of them need care… the government should help them.
“Where’s the caring society these days?” he asked.
The situation is a telling sign of the city’s race for material pursuit.
Many locals including Mujie will affirm that in KK, which is teeming with illegal immigrants, development is a top priority and human lives are cheap.
Still, Mujie reckons the government has a responsibility to its citizens and must act positively.
He urged the welfare department and the KK City Hall to work hand-in-hand to relocate and settle these homeless vagabonds in shelters and charity homes.
“If nothing more, it will create a better image of the city. City Hall should see re-locating these street sleepers as important to the tourist industry.
“It is important that our valued tourists visiting us don’t go to their country with a bad impression of the city filled with street sleepers,” he said.
[Photo from The Longest Way Home blog]
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