KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government will ensure that hawkers and small traders in the state will recover and thrive as they did before the Covid-19 pandemic, says Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (pic).

       The Deputy Chief Minister said the past two years had been difficult for small businesses with many forced to close shops due to continuous lockdowns as the government battled to curb the spread of the virus.

       "Now that the economic sector has been allowed to reopen, we can all breathe a sense of relief.

       "Today’s event aims to kickstart the commercial activity in this district and help our local businesses in the best way possible," he said at the opening of the Tambunan Tamu Besar event on Tuesday (Dec 28).

       Kitingan said the traditional open market was an initiative by the government to test the ground and bring back a sense of normalcy with strict observation of standard operating procedures (SOPs).

       "We want to get our domestic economy back in full swing but we must keep in mind that the pandemic isn’t over yet and public health must remain our top priority at all times," he said.

       Kitingan also said that the state was dedicated to making Tambunan an important hub for agriculture and tourism in Sabah.

       This was because the district has fertile land and unique natural resources that were not present in other districts.

       "However, we have seen an increase in the number of livestock roaming public roads, and in some cases, resulting in accidents and loss of life and property.

       "Therefore, I fully support the decision by the local authority to catch all these livestock that were left by their owners on the road as a lesson to better take care of their properties," he added.