KOTA KINABALU: The Deputy President of the Sabah Football Association (SAFA) for the Kota Marudu District, Jimson Majemal, has called on the Sabah Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) to accelerate the long-delayed construction of the Kota Marudu Sports Complex.
He noted that tens of thousands of residents in Kota Marudu had high hopes for the project to be completed according to the original schedule set for last September.
However, he expressed disappointment that the project is currently only about 50 percent complete, which has left many in the district, particularly the youth, feeling disheartened.
“As a sports advocate in Kota Marudu, I feel compelled to join the community in appealing for KBS to hasten the development of this facility,” he said in a statement today.
Jimson, who previously served as the Assistant District Education Officer for Kota Marudu, emphasized that the Kota Marudu Sports Complex is the only sports facility eagerly awaited by the local people.
According to him, once the project is completed, the various facilities to be made available at the Kota Marudu Sports Complex are capable of meeting the needs of schools, particularly for athletic competitions involving nine secondary schools, including SMA Goshen, the Comprehensive Model School 9 (K9) in Magandai, as well as 33 primary schools and five private schools.
He also expressed frustration at witnessing a project that was intended to benefit the community now languishing in an incomplete state.
“It is disheartening to see a project sign displayed while the actual work remains unfulfilled,” he remarked.
Jimson is confident that with the substantial allocation of over RM6 billion from the federal government for development expenditures in Sabah, along with the Sabah Budget 2025 exceeding RM6 billion, there should be no obstacles to completing the Kota Marudu Sports Complex promptly.