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Recent news of a 71-year-old senior citizen being slapped with parking summon while still fumbling with her phone to make payment via the Sabah Smart Parking (SSP) App has raised serious question about how parking enforcement is being carried out in Kota Kinabalu and Penampang.
I fully support proper, timed parking because it is only fair for other road users, who have urgent and important matters to attend at commercial areas in Kota Kinabalu and Penampang, to benefit from orderly parking.
What I disapprove is the manner in which enforcement is being carried out — swift and seemingly designed to catch motorists rather than to encourage compliance.
The speed and manner in which compounds are being issued raise questions whether enforcement officers are operating under instructions, performance expectations or enforcement targets. If such directives exist, then the authorities owe an explanation to the public.
Lest we forget, the Penampang Municipal Council (MPP) has previously defended compounding vehicles parked outside designated bays — even where those vehicles were not obstructing traffic flow in any way.
I find both actions unjustifiable because before issuing compound, the local authorities should have firstly ensured parking spaces are adequate, demarcation lines are clearly marked and roads themselves are in a good conditions. Enforcement without proper infrastructure is not good governance — it is an exploitation.
But the more pressing question concerns the parking fee collected in Penampang over the past two years. After 24 months of collection, there has been no visible improvement either to the roads, roadside drainages or streetlights leading into Donggongon Town and other commercial areas. Donggongon market was flooded just last year while Penampang netizens continue to complain about the state of the roads to and from Donggongon Town.
When the parking fee system was first introduced, Penampang folks grudgingly accepted it based on the understanding that such collection will be utilized to uplift road conditions under the local authority’s jurisdiction. That belief has now evaporated.
Whether these roads and drainage facilities fall under MPP, JKR or another agency, Penampang folks deserve a clear account of which authority is responsible for these deficiencies and how parking revenue collected within the district is being utilised. MPP must explain to Penampang folks exactly how much has been collected by the company holding the concession to collect parking fees and where that money has gone.
MPP can always publish a simple parking revenue accountability statement stating total parking revenue collected over 24 months, amount paid to the concessionaire, amount retained by MPP, enforcement/operating costs, net revenue to the council and how the net revenue was utilised.
Without substantial improvement to the roads leading to and from Donggongon Town, including the roadside drains and streetlights, the MPP councillors, who have a moral duty to prevent exploitation in the district must now call for a review of the parking rates.
Again, I am not against the implementation of parking fees in Penampang. But such fee should consider the financial reality of Penampang’s economy. Why should Donggongon’s Yellow B1 zone be charged at RM0.79 per hour — near-identical to Bangsar’s RM0.80 per hour — when the average monthly salary in Bangsar ranges between RM4,000 and RM10,000, while in Penampang, it languishes between a pitiful RM2,000 and RM4,500?
And if the State Government is serious about rejuvenating Penampang’s economy and making it more robust, then they must firstly ensure the ecosystem is conducive for businesses to grow. Yes, there are matters beyond their control — such as negotiating with the Federal Government over issues like diesel pricing — but it does not help when when high parking fees, new operating licence fees, poor roads/drainage and unstable utilities are lumped up together at a time when cost of raw materials increases. y
This is not Sabah First, but Money First.
Any revenue collection plan MPP intends to implement in Penampang must commensurate with the current economic condition and financial reality of both business operators and ordinary folks in the district.
Christopher Masudal
Chairperson
Ikatan Komuniti Penampang (IKATAN Penampang)
(IKATAN Penampang is a Penampang-based community movement comprising retirees, church leaders and youths advocating for transparency, accountability and good governance in Penampang and Sabah)
