PUTATAN: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Yahya Hussin aims to turn Putatan into the cleanest district in Sabah.
Yahya, who is also the Agriculture and Food Industry Minister and Petagas assemblyman, said that the district had to improve its cleanliness as it is the gateway of visitors coming in from Brunei and Sarawak to the city, Kota Kinabalu.
The district is also where the Kota Kinabalu International Airport is sited, he said.
“Putatan is only 10 minutes away from the international airport. The district is the first place where our tourists see and make an impression of the whole State. If the district is dirty, then naturally, people will think likewise with other places in Sabah,” he said during the launch of the Putatan district anti-littering campaign held next to the tamu ground near here yesterday.
He then called on all the relevant agencies to work together and find a solution to address the litter problem in Putatan.
“Today it is a bit clean. But come Saturday and Sunday, we will have our weekly tamu market and we will see huge amount of waste discarded everywhere within the town area,” he lamented.
Yahya added that vendors who are conducting sales activities during the tamu market must be forced to ensure they leave no waste behind.
At the same time, he also said that shop owners must ensure the areas outside their premises are always clean.
“When I was in Xiamen, I noticed the shop owners cleaned the areas outside their shops. This should be made a habit here too,” he said.
Yahya mentioned that the issue of waste was an endless one and it needed the contribution of all to be addressed.
“There is no point for us to argue with the district council on our waste issue. It needs to start with us,” he said.
He also proposed for businesses in the district to adopt anti-plastic use.