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The Sun
2 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Fire destroys 60-year-old Kota Kinabalu community hall
A devastating fire has completely gutted the iconic Kota Kinabalu Community Hall, bringing an end to six decades of the building's service to the local community. According to The Borneo Post, the historic venue, which has stood for 60 years along Jalan Dewan, in the state capital was engulfed in flames during the early hours of Tuesday morning at approximately 12.30am. Emergency services from three fire stations – Kota Kinabalu, Lintas, and Penampang – responded swiftly to the incident after receiving the distress call at 12.44am, according to Kota Kinabalu Fire and Rescue Station chief Ordine Gilu. Firefighting teams worked tirelessly for over two hours before successfully bringing the blaze under control at 2.41am, with operations concluding at 3.33am. 'Both the main hall structure and storage facility have been completely destroyed. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries or fatalities,' Gilu confirmed to the East Malaysian daily. Authorities are currently investigating the fire's origin and calculating the extent of financial damage caused by the incident. The community hall served as a cornerstone of Kota Kinabalu's cultural and civic life since the city's post-independence era, hosting numerous official ceremonies, artistic performances, and public gatherings throughout its operational years. Local arts and cultural advocates have described the loss as devastating for the community's heritage and creative sector. Reports indicate that renovation works were planned for the facility in phases, though these improvements had not yet commenced when the fire occurred. Nearby resident Lim Seng Fook, aged 74, witnessed the destruction firsthand and expressed his devastation: 'Seeing the hall ablaze was deeply shocking. This wasn't merely a structure – it represented decades of our city's heritage and collective memories.' The incident has cast uncertainty over the upcoming National Month, Sabah Day and 2025 Flag-Raising Campaign launch, originally scheduled to take place at the venue on August 1. Officials have yet to announce alternative arrangements for the event.
Borneo Post
2 days ago
- General
- Borneo Post
Historic Kota Kinabalu Community Hall razed in fire
The Kota Kinabalu Community Hall destroyed in an early morning fire. KOTA KINABALU (July 29): A landmark steeped in history, the 60-year-old Kota Kinabalu Community Hall was destroyed in a fire early Tuesday morning. The blaze broke out around 12.30am at the hall located along Jalan Dewan, prompting an emergency response from the Kota Kinabalu, Lintas, and Penampang fire stations. Kota Kinabalu Fire and Rescue Station chief Ordine Gilu said firefighters received the emergency call at 12.44am and managed to control the fire by 2.41am. The operation ended at 3.33am. 'The fire completely destroyed the hall and its storeroom. No casualties were reported,' he said, adding that the cause of the fire and estimated losses are still under investigation. The Kota Kinabalu Community Hall has long been a vital venue for official functions, cultural performances, and public forums since the city's early development after independence. Its destruction has been described as a major loss to the community and the local arts and cultural scene. The hall was reportedly undergoing phased renovations, which had yet to fully begin. Several local residents who witnessed the fire expressed shock and sorrow over the loss. Lim Seng Fook, 74, who lives nearby, shared his heartbreak: 'I was very shocked to see the hall on fire. It is not just a building but part of the history and memory of this city.' The National Month, Sabah Day and the 2025 Flag-Raising Campaign is scheduled to be launched at the Kota Kinabalu Community Hall on August 1. It is not known yet whether the event will be held at another place following the incident.
Daily Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Express
Five-hour closure of Kota Kinabalu bypass this Friday
Published on: Tuesday, July 29, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jul 29, 2025 Text Size: The traffic lights at the Dewan involving the route from Capital Roundabout (Bandaran) to Dewan Masyarakat Road will also be closed temporarily. Kota Kinabalu: The KK bypass, from the Bunga Raya Roundabout to the Costal Roundabout, will be temporarily closed for five hours this Friday (Aug 1), from 6.30am to 11.30am. District Police Chief, ACP Kasim Muda, said the road closure is in conjunction with the National Month Launch, Sabah Day, and the 2025 Flag Raising Campaign. The event is expected to be officiated by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, at the Kota Kinabalu Community Hall. The traffic lights at the Dewan involving the route from Capital Roundabout (Bandaran) to Dewan Masyarakat Road will also be closed temporarily. However, he said the route from Capital Roundabout to Bunga Raya Roundabout remains open to other road users. He said Jalan Dewan would also be temporarily closed from the direction of Pintu Gerbang Dirgahayu or from the direction of Padang Merdeka. In addition to the closure of roads on Jalan KK Bypass, roads such as Jalan Coastal will also have traffic control measures in place throughout the duration of the programme to ensure smooth traffic flow around the city centre. 'We have approximately 150 personnel assigned for security purposes, excluding an additional 50 personnel for traffic duties, along with assistance from JPJ, DBKK, and Rela,' he told the media after being a guest on the Interview Segment with Sabah FM presenters, DJ Ramlah and DJ Ozel, here on Monday. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Sabah at a crossroads over next state polls
KOTA KINABALU: Political watchers are weighing in on the possibility of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor dissolving the state assembly within days after his Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat)'s three-day congress beginning July 25. With only four months until the automatic dissolution on Nov 11, some analysts speculate that Hajiji is likely to call for it before National Day though some within Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) are keen for elections to take place after Malaysia Day. It remains unclear whether Hajiji will call for a GRS supreme council meeting immediately after his party congress to discuss dates for a dissolution. A leader with GRS indicated that there was no scheduled GRS supreme council meeting or any planned convention among parties so far this month. But they expect Hajiji to have a clear mandate from his party on its alliances and preferred dissolution dates after his party congress. Some members within the eight-party grouping prefer having the state assembly go into a full term so that they could capitalise on Sabah Day, which marks the state's independence from British colonial rule on on Aug 31, 1963. They have indicated that celebrating Sabah Day on Aug 31 would boost the coalition's push for state autonomy, in line with the groundswell for state's rights under Malaysia Agreement 1963, the basis of Sabah joining the federation. Though many feel it makes little difference, some leaders are of the view that celebrating Sabah Day before the election would be a boost and help create a feel-good sentiment for GRS, which had been caught in issues related to graft allegations and delayed infrastructure deliveries. On his part, Hajiji had said that he would get the consensus of GRS leaders before approaching Governor Tun Musa Aman for the dissolution of the assembly. Political analyst Prof Dr Romzi Ationg, a senior lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, believed Hajiji would likely seek the dissolution of the assembly within days after the Gagasan Rakyat congress. 'I don't think Hajiji will wait any longer. 'I believe the Chief Minister needs to weigh in on the views of some of his federal counterparts who want to see an election held sooner. 'But many are hoping that GRS will opt for a full term as they are in a dire need to solve or at least minimise problems such as water shortage and electricity issues,' Romzi said. Sabah's last election was held on Sept 26, 2020. State assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim Yahya has explained previously that the automatic dissolution will take place on Nov 11, if the assembly is not dissolved before that. He said the five-year term of the 16th Sabah assembly is calculated from the date of its first sitting on Nov 12, 2020.
The Star
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Sabah assembly could dissolve within days of Gagasan Rakyat congress, says analysts
KOTA KINABALU: Political watchers are weighing in on the possibility of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor dissolving the state assembly within days after his Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) three-day congress from July 25-27. With only four months to the automatic dissolution on Nov 11, some analysts speculate that Hajiji is likely to call for it before National Day (Aug 31), though some within Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) are keen for elections to take place after Malaysia Day (Sept 16). However, it is still not clear if Hajiji will call for a GRS supreme council meeting immediately after his party's congress to discuss dates for dissolution. A GRS leader indicated that there was no scheduled GRS supreme council meeting or any planned convention among parties scheduled for this month so far. But, they expect Hajiji to have a clear mandate from his party on its alliances and preferred dissolution dates after his party's congress. Some members within the eight-party GRS prefer going it the full term as they could capitalise on Sabah Day, which is the celebration of the state's independence from British colonial rule on Aug 31, 1963. They have indicated celebrating Sabah Day would boost the local coalition's push for state autonomy in line with the growing groundswell for state rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963, the basis of Sabah joining the federation. Though many feel that it makes little difference, some leaders think that celebrating Sabah Day before the election would be a booster and help create a feel-good mood for GRS caught in delayed infrastructure deliveries and graft issues. Hajiji, himself, has said that he will get the consensus of GRS leaders before advising the Governor Tun Musa Aman on the dissolution of the assembly. Political analyst Prof Dr Romzi Ationg, a senior lecturer of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), believes that Hajiji was likely to seek the dissolution of the assembly within days after the Gagasan Rakyat congress. "I don't think Hajiji will wait longer, I believe the Chief Minister needs to weigh in on the views of some of his federal counterparts who want to see an election held sooner. "But many are hoping GRS opts for a full term as they are in a dire need to, at least, minimise, if not, solve many problems such as water shortages, electricity issues etc. "Despite that, many are of the opinion that Hajiji will likely dissolve the current assembly after the Gagasan Rakyat congress," he said, explaining that holding the 17th state election in September or October could be considered going a full term as the 16th state election was held on Sept 26, 2020. Gagasan Rakyat, a Muslim native based multiracial party, with its 26 state seats, is the anchor party of GRS, while non-Muslim based Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) with seven seats and Sabah STAR with six seats are the major partners of GRS. GRS holds 42 seats in the 79-seat (including six nominated seats) state assembly. Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan Rakyat) have one seat each, while other GRS component partners without a seat are the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) and Usno. GRS is currently in coalition with Sabah Pakatan Harapan, who hold seven state seats. GRS is ready to continue to work with Sabah Pakatan in an electoral pact for the election, but most of its components insist that GRS should be the dominant partner in line with the state's autonomous rights. Sabah Barisan, which broke away from the GRS government in January 2023, is forging a coalition with Sabah Pakatan in line with the political framework of the federal unity government. Both GRS and Barisan have refused to work with each other.
