SANDAKAN: A 31-year-old engineer specialising in renewable energy aspires to become a lawmaker who champions sustainability.
Alex Thien, who is contesting under the Parti Warisan banner in Sandakan, said it was undeniable that like other places, Sandakan was facing severe plastic pollution at sea.
"Before Parliament was dissolved, I had been working with a non-governmental organisation and a bank that were willing to work on the issue.
"The project aims to perform some value-adding activities for plastic waste by shredding and converting them into outdoor flooring and roofing, just like how it is done in other countries.
"As for the marketing of those products, I believe I could help as I have good connections with the business and commerce associations in Sabah," he told the New Straits Times.
Thien added that the one-month pilot project saw shredders being installed at Sim Sim and other islands.
He said with the Environmental, Social, and Governance fund from the bank that employed him, these sustainability projects will create jobs.
Thien said there was a need for long-term solutions to reduce plastic waste and avoid single-use plastics.
"If I am elected to Parliament, I would look into some (related) laws, including pressuring bottle (manufacturers) to pay a fee for environmental purposes as they are producing hundreds of thousands (of bottles)."
Apart from sustainability, Thien pledges a five-point manifesto to constituents. He will focus on downstream products, improving hospital services, reducing traffic jams through road repairs, addressing the water supply shortage and organising youth sports.
The other five candidates contesting the Sandakan parliamentary seat are incumbent Vivian Wong (Pakatan Harapan), Thomas Lau (Gabungan Rakyat Sabah), and independents Peter Hii, Syeikh Lokeman and Lita Tan Abdullah.