Datuk VK Liew
SANDAKAN: Batu Sapi Member of Parliament, Datuk Liew Vui Keong has questioned the condition of the Batu Sapi heritage site which is now in a sorry state and demanded an explanation from the Sandakan Municipal Council (SMC).
“I went to see the heritage site of Batu Sapi, which was made famous because of the rock formation with its three ‘legs’ since before independence. Now it is in a very sorry state due to lack of maintenance.
“I will summon SMC President Datuk Ir James Wong to brief on the once famous Batu Sapi. Why did SMC allow this heritage site to be in such a poor and sorry state? The site was even locked up when I got there. No one can enter. It is a public place yet it is closed,” he said.
Batu Sapi got its name from a rock (batu) that resembles a bull (sapi), here.
He also commented on Pasir Putih, a once famous beach site at Batu Sapi and said that it is now full of rubbish and there is no maintenance done.
“SMC better provide a good explanation for this,” he said.
Meanwhile, Liew said that he will work with Karamunting Assemblyman George Hiew who is also the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing to develop the Batu Sapi heritage site.
“I will also talk to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment to look into making both places tourism hotspots, as I believe these places have the potential to become top tourist destinations here,” he added.
Liew said this in a statement after he went to Kampung Bokara and Kampung Gas, Batu Sapi here to thank voters yesterday.
Sandakan, despite being a town located at the coastal area, has no beach for recreational activities. Locals here do not go to the beach as Pasir Putih is said to be too dirty to be visited, and it is not maintained.