Benedick buying food items from a local trader at the Donggongon tamu.
KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Ewon Benedick hopes the contentious public parking charges in the semi-rural Penampang district will be reduced next year.
The Penampang MP said he knew that residents and the business community, especially local traders, have voiced their displeasure over the issue.
“I have listened to the Penampang residents and consumers and I have passed on my views to the Penampang Municipal Council (MPP) president to consider lowering the rates,” he said, after an event in Penampang near here on Wednesday (Nov 13).
“I know the president as well as the Council have also listened to the people and hopefully next year, the fee could be reduced as we know of the economic challenges presently,” he added.
The charges, which came into effect in July, vary according to the colour code of the parking bays.
Penampang folk felt, however, that the 75sen half-an-hour rate, or RM1.50 rate for one hour of parking, in the yellow lots was too high compared to similar parking in Kota Kinabalu which is RM1 per hour, or 50sen for every 30 minutes.
Leaders from both sides of the political aisle had also raised the issue before.
In August, a non-governmental organisation along with several business owners held a peaceful picket, calling the fee “unreasonable” and demanded the MPP to review the rates.
They also said that the people will not hesitate to punish those in power with the state election to be held anytime within the next 11 months.
Following that, in October, MPP president Francis Chong said they were reviewing and considering lowering the parking fees in certain areas following complaints from Penampang folk.
Chong said he understood their concerns, especially those who drove to work or for other daily affairs.
Benedick said he supported the MPP’s initiative to look for new revenue resources, including from parking fees, but that they must listen to the feedback from those affected by the charges.
He said it was also suggested to the MPP to increase the number of blue parking lots, which cost 30sen an hour.
Benedick, who is also the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister, said, however, the charges were fixed before he became the MP.
“That is why I am asking for the newly elected members of the MPP to carefully consider the views of the people on the matter,” he said.
Earlier, he presented canopies worth RM66,000 to 434 local traders at the temporary tamu (traditional market) in Donggongon town in a symbolic ceremony.
The traders were moved to a site near the Datuk Peter Mojuntin monument to allow work on the actual tamu grounds just meters away in Donggongon.
“As the MP, I have fulfilled their requests of supplying one canopy for each trader, hopefully, this will enable them to continue their entrepreneurial activities,” Benedick said.
He said he hoped that the upgrading work on the actual Donggongon tamu grounds, costing RM8.5mil, would be completed according to schedule and within his term as MP after being delayed for some time.
That is why, he said, his first order of business when elected in December 2022 was to bring the issue to the Prime Minister’s Department’s Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) director-general to expedite the project.
