MP TELLS TAWAU PORT AUTHORITY TO BUCK UP

TAWAU : MP for Tawau Datuk Chua Soon Bui wants the Tawau Port Authority (TPA) to buck up and start making serious effort to resolve the long-standing issues that are currently still affecting the shipping companies and the traders in Tawau.

"It was really sad to read about the long-standing problems at the Tawau port that are still affecting the industry players, and the Tawau Port Authority has done nothing to rectify them," she said.

She was responding to the complaints lodged by the six trade associations from the district, namely the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Bumiputra Chamber of Commerce, Indian Chamber of Commerce, The Lorry Association, Tawau Transport Association and Sabah Shipping Association, on the breakdown of services at the Tawau port, thus causing the delay of unloading of containers. Some ships were even forced to re-route to Lahad Datu or Sandakan, for unloading and transport back to Tawau using other means of transportation.

She was especially upset that this has unnecessarily caused the upsurge of extra transportation costs burdening the consumers in Tawau, Kalabakan, Kunak, Semporna, to the tune of billions of ringgits for the past years.

She stressed that the industry players, the people of Sabah at large, especially those from Tawau, deserved to know from both the Minister of Infrastructure, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kititingan, and the TPA, on the total amount of money that has been allocated by the State government and the federal ministry of transport thus far, for the upgrading of the said port, and why those long-standing woes have remained unresolved.

These included insufficient cranes - only one out of six is in service, and the long overdue drenching of sea bed is also delaying the unloading of containers for the past years.

Chua who is also a Vice President of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) thus supported the calls of the six trade associations earlier, calling for the abolishment of Sabah surcharge at Tawau port, and demanded the TPA to implement corrective measures on these long-standing woes.

She also demanded to know why the container cargo ships were not allowed to use their cranes, when the port authority could not provided the necessary services, and were made to wait for their turn to dock for unloading, or been turned away.

"The Tawau Port Authority should give alternatives when they failed to provide the necessary service. It should also bear the penalty and losses incurred to the shipping companies, due to delay in delivery of goods to clients.

"Such a poor service (at Tawau port) has also become a laughing stock to the international sea freighters, and is a disgrace to Sabah in particular, and Malaysia, as a whole," she said.

She warned that if TPA continues to ignore the legitimate and pressing plight of the shipping companies and the business community, it might not only further burden the people of Tawau, but might also cause the entire economy of Tawau to paralyse.

"If the Tawau Port Authority can't manage the services, they should outsource it to those who are more capable, before the entire economy of Tawau collapse," she said.