KOTA KINABALU – It was supposed to be an architectural wonder, but after four years and millions of Ringgit, the KK Skybridge connecting Center Point Mall has now become a laughingstock.
A Twitter user named Al-Rashid Zulkefli recently revealed that the skybridge, which supposed to connect to Center Point Sabah, leads to a brick wall instead.
Skybridge 31.5juta Sabah.
— Al-Rashid Zulkefli???? (@AlRashidZulkefl) September 5, 2021
Turun nak pegi mall, kena lompat sendiri pegi bawah.???? pic.twitter.com/AVSVk3idoS
If you want to go to the mall, [you] have to jump down from the bridge,” Al-Rashid said in a tweet.
“Is this where the money goes to?”
The post has since received over 7.8k likes and 5k retweets at press time, with many questioning the skybridge’s real cost.
One netizen questioned: ‘Is this where the money goes to?’
is this where the money all goes to? Nanti end up jadi tempat apa2 ja nanti.
— ???????? lilbabe ???????? (@svnnybij) September 5, 2021
Another netizen joked that it would be an Instagrammable location for youngsters.
tu instagramable section la tu…
— Pai Cheung Lim (@Izraa) September 6, 2021
tak caya tengok la nanti.. section ni jadi profile picture org ramai.
buat wedding photo, buat fashion show.. sume kat section ni.. pandai betul sape yg buat jejantas ni.
????????????????????????????
One said that it was Sabah’s version of Platform 3/4 in the Harry Potter series.
Ini lah platform 9 3/4 ke hogwarts. Malaysia punya train la tapi.
— SangOktopus (@oktopusberacun) September 5, 2021
Hajiji: This Is For All Of Us
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor expressed his relief at the RM31.5mil project’s completion, given the many problems which had plagued it for years.
“This is for all of us. It is an important infrastructure for Kota Kinabalu.
Prior to this, there have been road accidents involving jaywalkers,” he told The Vibes during his visit to the skybridge last Friday (Sept 3).
However, Al Rashid also posted screenshots of Parliamentary documents in a separate Tweet claiming that the government has allocated RM60 million for the project by the previous administration.
Wait.
— Al-Rashid Zulkefli???? (@AlRashidZulkefl) September 5, 2021
Handsard Parlimen bertarikh 6 Nov 2019, MP Kota Kinabalu mendedahkan RM60juta sudah diluluskan oleh kerajaan terdahulu(UMNO/BN), baki tak siap pula sepatutnya RM4juta.
Awal tahun, GRS suntik RM4.7juta. Hajiji rasmi projek, umum kos RM31.5juta???? Mana pegi 20juta lain???? pic.twitter.com/10gMdn0B20
The screenshots further showed that an additional RM4mil was needed to complete the project, resulting in a whopping amount of RM64mil.
Moreover, the construction works first began in April 2017, according to the plan. It was expected to be completed in September but was extended to April 18, 2018.
To make matters worse, Sunsea Development went bankrupt after the contractor Petrofiq Sdn Bhd stopped construction citing lack of payments.
‘Not part of the original plan’
When asked about the ‘dead end’, Hajiji said that an entry point leading into the Center Point Shopping Mall is still work-in-progress.
He also added that the Center Point mall’s owner refused to allow the contractor to build the entrance.
Secondly, I was made to understand that the mall owners wanted to do it themselves.
On the other hand, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) vice-president Gee Tien Siong explained that Centre Point Sabah wasn’t part of the original plan, FMT reported.
“The initial design of KK Skybridge does not include Centre Point Sabah, they are responsible for building the link between the bridge and the shopping centre. The KK SkyBridge is set to open after the movement control order (ends),” he said.
What do you think? Comment below and let us know!
Cover Images via Twitter/Al-Rashid Zulkefli
Proofreader: Sarah Yeoh
