An artist’s impression of the Alorie Lepa Lepa resort.
Huge concrete piling columns protruding from the seabed out to the water surface.
KOTA KINABALU: The status of the abandoned million-Ringgit resort project nearby the world’s best diving spot, Mabul, remains a mystery.
Even Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun is not aware of the progress of the RM280 million project.
“I am not in the know of the progress of the project … some say delayed,” his short reply in a text message, yesterday.
Efforts to get to the bottom of the project from the developing company’s top management also failed when none of them were available for comments.
A call to the office representative revealed that the bosses were “away on an outstation matters”.
Thousands of huge concrete piling columns sit protruding from the seabed out to the water surface at what is seemed to be an abandoned five-star resort in the Mabul Island.
These concrete piling spans about a kilometer long, from one end to another, is said to be a project listed under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s much-publicised Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), and is among the other initiatives identified to serve as catalysts to establish Semporna as Borneo’s Marine Paradise. Other initiatives are the Sipadan Mangrove Resort, and Mount Conner Tourism Hub.
The shocking discovery was made by a group of concerned Sabah-based tour operators, who highlighted the issue in a blog entitled Alorie Lepa Lepa Resort – just another mega tourism and investment scam?, recently.
They were initially excited with what would be the latest tourism attraction and visited the project site to see what is in store, especially with the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 is approaching close.
However, they were caught by surprise when all they saw were the thousand of huge concrete piling columns protruding from the seabed out to the water surface.
In an interview with the local folks, they were told that the project has been abandoned for more than six months now, and the contractors too have left Semporna.
“No one seems to know what actually happened to the project. They also told us that they were only aware of the project when the piling works started.
“Some of our counterparts here meanwhile told us that at one time, the project owner even arrogantly boasted that once completed and operational, this resort “will kill off all the 24 tour operators in Mabul”.
“And now, all that were left behind are thousands of huge concrete piling columns are not only a terrible eyesore and a ‘monument of shame’ but, worse still, a potential environmental disaster!” reads the blog, adding that they also believe that the scam might be perpetrated by high-powered people.