Tanjung Aru Eco Development (TAED) had claimed that the project could place Kota Kinabalu City on the world map in terms of planning, consultation and the quality of development; or so the public were informed in talks and videos circulated or endorsed by its Managing Director, Datuk Seri Victor Paul who cites Perdana Park in Kota Kinabalu City as the achievement that won him the role of MD of TAED.

Since the public consultation on the draft TAED Local Plan held by the Mayor of Dewan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu between 10 November 2016 and February 2017 followed by the first (of a mandatory 2 round public consultation process) on 21 March 2017 - things have been quietly moving ahead as though the mandatory public consultation process had been fully completed and complied with.

We had sent letters to the Mayor Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) on 9 Oct 2017, Chairman of Central Town and Country Board on 15 December 2017 and the State Attorney General on 5 January 2017 requesting for an official update on the planning process and the outcome of the public consultation and written responses to ours and hundreds of other persons’ written objections submitted as part of the statutory planning and public consultation process for the TAED Local Plan.

Our main concerns are:

1. Lack of sound justification for the TAED project in spite of known adverse impacts to adjoining areas and KK City.

2. Lack of transparency, in fact more like secrecy in the consultation process.

3. Names of officers and departments who were consulted and who attended technical committee meetings were not provided.

4. DBKK withholding details of objections. DBKK submitted an amended Draft TAED Local Plan to the Central Board without informing the objectors which of their objections, if any, had been taken into account and how the plan was modified.

5. Obvious lack of independence and the absence of written or verbal advice on DBKK’s responses and decisions and the fact that the Mayor also has to wear the "developer's hat", being a civil servant.

6. No qualified and experienced government officers to advice members of the public on their rights and TAED on the procedures of handling public concerns truthfully.

7. State Government's role in preventing government officials from acting independently.

8. Compulsory acquisition of land for a public purpose by TAED when it is not a public body.

9. No public audit and reporting of TAED company’s activities.

These issues are raised in the spirit of seeking transparency, accountability and justification from the government as a whole of their statutory responsibility when making decisions regarding the proposed TAED project in the interests of the general public and the citizens of this country who reside in Sabah.

All references to ‘government’ above are to the government in power before 12th May 2018.

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