Pakatan’s Chan Foong Hin pledges free boat rides, defends RM260m Pulau Gaya school project

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 20 — Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Tanjung Aru candidate Datuk Chan Foong Hin has pledged to provide free boat transport for students in Pulau Gaya and has passionately defended a new RM260 million school complex for the island.

Chan said both would be crucial steps to uplift a community he says has been “left behind.”

After campaigning on the island, Chan said the initiatives are designed to improve access to education and provide a safer learning environment for the children of the water village.

Chan promised to provide free boat transport for all students of SK Pulau Gaya and SMK Pulau Gaya throughout the school year, a move aimed at easing the financial strain and safety concerns of the daily commute.

“This initiative aims to ensure students can travel safely, smoothly, and without additional cost,” he said in a statement.

The pledge is part of a broader vision anchored by the federal government’s recent approval of a RM260 million allocation to build a new, consolidated education complex on the island. 

The project will replace the current vulnerable over-water schools, which are frequently damaged by storms and coastal erosion.

The new complex will feature a complete reconstruction of SK Pulau Gaya and SMK Pulau Gaya, each with 36 classrooms, a main hall, and modern sports facilities.

Chan said he was “upset” by criticism that the project was too expensive, arguing that such views ignore the harsh realities faced by the island’s children.

“Some critics say it is so expensive – RM260 million for 2,000 students  – but as a government, we cannot deny a student’s right to access education,” he asserted. “You cannot put a price tag on that.”

Voting for the Sabah state election is on November 29.