KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Bebas Sampah (SBS) or “Trash-Free Sabah” campaign started in Semporna under the Warisan government showed real results because there was leadership, teamwork.and enforcement.
Former Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Local Government and Housing Datuk Jaujan Sambakong said the goal was not just to clean Semporna but to change people’s habits for good.
Under then Semporna District Officer Bianus Kontong, the campaign united the local council, enforcement officers and the community in a major clean-up drive.
“We cleaned up Semporna in just two months. After that, we enforced the by-laws and anyone who littered was fined RM50 on the spot,” said Bianus at a recent press conference.
“We used skimmer boats to collect floating trash, built two incinerators that burned up to two tonnes of waste a day leaving only two kilograms of ash. That was the result.
“The SBS campaign also had a creative awareness program. People caught littering had to wear a vest with the word “Saya monyet” (monkey) printed on it to remind everyone that littering is not acceptable.
The campaign worked and Semporna became cleaner and its waters clearer than before.
But when GRS took over the government, the program stopped completely. There was no more enforcement, no more community work and no follow-through.
The result was that Semporna started getting dirty again.
The same people who ended the program are now trying to blame Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal when in truth, it was under Warisan that Semporna was cleaned and under GRS that it went backward.
“Warisan cleaned Semporna once and we will clean it again because where others make excuses, we deliver results,” said Jaujan.
