SANDAKAN: Walking into one of the walkways in Kampung Sim Sim, one will be able to appreciate the interesting and differing designs of stilt houses there, but also notice immediate issues that needs tending.
Like many coastal villages in Sabah, garbage brought through the ocean is a long-standing problem, but there is also the issue of rickety wooden bridges leading to each unit.
While some houses have a complete lane connecting them to the cemented walkway, some were only connected by a single wooden plank – almost making the attempt to cross it seem like a circus act.
“That is one of the problems in the past... Sometimes we need to fix certain things, like my house has termites eating and creating holes in the walls, but the government focuses on beautifying the walkway.
“They do not see the real assistance that we need. They need to listen to the real problems,” said Ahmad Awang Omar, 67, a grandfather of 16.
The retired handyman was met at Jambatan 20 of the village on Monday (April 29) morning, where DAP candidate for Sandakan by-election Vivian Wong was making her campaigning rounds. There are 16 stilted units in Jambatan 20 alone.
The village consisted of Jambatan 1 to Jambatan 24, where each walkway, or Jambatan, acts as a cluster. At present, it is learnt that a village chief has yet to be appointed after a restructuring move by the state government.
The oldest water village settlement in Sandakan with a mainly Muslim population, Kampung Sim Sim sits just outside Sandakan town, and has been the focus of candidates, as they have a large vote bank of Bajau Suluks.
Ahmad, who has six children that live here as well as outside the village, hopes that housing repair assistance will be given priority by the elected MP.
He admitted that he did not know much about the candidates contesting the May 11 polls, but said the late Stephen Wong had visited the village during his tenure as an MP.
Housewife Suraini Syarifuddin, 34, and her husband Suhardi Latipu, 36, who recently moved to Jambatan 20 last year from Jambatan 19 previously, also mentioned assistance they applied for during Stephen’s tenure, such as lighting for the walkway, had yet to be carried out.
Like Ahmad, Suhardi admitted to not being familiar with the candidates, but hoped whoever took over will look into improving the nearby Sim Sim market, where he sells grilled fish.
“If they could upgrade the pasar, which is famous among local and international visitors, our patrons would feel more comfortable.
“We could use some expansion of space. Right now, the fans are not working and there is no proper lighting, making it inconvenient for those eating at night,” he said, adding that parking was also an issue.
After making her rounds from house to house, Wong said she felt the reception was positive with her posters being seen on some of the units.
She noted the safety of bridges as a priority in the village, as well as managing fire risks, as these were wooden houses, and fire extinguishers must be made available.
Meanwhile, independent candidate Sulaiman Abdul Samat, when met on a different campaign session at Sri Taman, claimed that issues at Kampung Sim Sim – which is the only gazetted coastal village under the Sandakan parliamentary constituency - were not fixed, as prior leaders only came there for publicity.
The former civil administrative assistant also lamented how crab breeding was allowed at Jambatan 24, which meant a housing zone is mixed with an industrial zone.
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