Kota Kinabalu: Api Api assemblyman Loi Kok Liang questioned the fate of RM250,000 approved by the Sabah government in 2022 to address the issue of stateless and Pala’uh (sea gypsy) children begging on the streets of Kota Kinabalu.
Loi said he has received numerous complaints from city residents over the continued presence of children, many without citizenship, who are seen begging at major traffic intersections and public areas.
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“The main hotspots are traffic lights around Wawasan Plaza, Wisma Merdeka and the Post Office,” he said.
He added that the children are also frequently seen roaming and sleeping outside shopping complexes and public areas including Centre Point, Wisma Merdeka, Suria Sabah, Sembulan, Gaya Street, Segama, Sinsuran and Kampung Air.
Loi said such scenes should not be occurring in Kota Kinabalu, a city that receives a large number of foreign tourists.
He said he had raised the matter during the previous State Legislative Assembly sitting but did not receive an oral reply, only a promise of a written response which, he said, has yet to be delivered.
According to Loi, on Nov 28, 2022, the state government through the Chief Minister’s Department approved an allocation of RM50,000 per district to establish temporary shelter centres.
The initiative was to be managed by the Home Affairs and Research Office together with the Social Welfare Services Department, with assistance from local authorities, and was scheduled to begin operations by the end of that year.
“Unfortunately, until today, no one knows whether these centres have ever started operating. If they have, why are so many of these children still roaming our city streets?” he said.
He questioned what had become of the approved allocation that was officially announced in the august house.
Loi called on the Chief Minister to provide answers and urged the state government to take drastic action in the interest of Kota Kinabalu.
“I will not remain silent and will continue to monitor this issue closely,” he said.
