Residents in the semi-rural Penampang district near Kota Kinabalu are unhappy about a proposed increase in parking fees before the township becomes a municipality on April 1. They believe the planned rates are too high compared to those in neighbouring Kota Kinabalu city.
Although there has been no official announcement, social media speculation suggests that the proposal includes different categories of parking fees from Monday to Saturday, with charges varying according to the color code of the parking bays.
Residents are particularly concerned about the proposed RM1.50 rate for one hour of parking in the yellow lots, which is higher than the RM1 per hour parking fee in similar areas.
Billy Joe Dominic, the Penampang Upko Youth chief, has called on the Penampang District Council (MDPG) to review the parking fees in order to ease the burden on the people, especially lower-income households.
Dominic mentioned that during a MDPG briefing on the parking fees last year, attended by Penampang MP and Upko president Datuk Ewon Benedick, it was revealed that the decision and agreement with the implementing company had been made and signed before Benedick became the MP.
Francis Chong, the MDPG chairman, declined to comment when contacted, stating that the policy had yet to be implemented.
Benedick, the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister, expressed concern that the proposed parking charges would affect small traders and hawkers, as the public transport system in Penampang is still underdeveloped.
Meanwhile, Dominic urged the MDPG to publicly display the agreement between the council and the concessionaire implementing the parking fee policy for transparency.
Overall, the proposed parking fees increase in Penampang has sparked public dissatisfaction, with residents and local leaders calling for a review of the charges and greater transparency in the decision-making process.
