Sabah’s gambling problem won't be solved by ban

KOTA KINABALU - Former chief minister Yong Teck Lee warned that a total ban on all licensed slot machines will only encourage illegal slot machine operators if the government failed to plan what to do about the overall gambling problem in Sabah.

Speaking to reporters here today, Yong, who is also the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president, said the government should consider the possibility that these illegal operators are waiting to pounce and fill the vacuum left by the licensed slot machine operators.

Anwar expects Mahathir to hand over in 2020

KUALA LUMPUR - PKR president Anwar Ibrahim says he expects to take over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad by 2020.

In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Anwar said his rivals have no legitimacy.

“There is no sign of any party introducing or promoting or lobbying for other names.

Equal partners but no money

There was a time when East Malaysians believed the promise of a 20% oil royalty by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government would become a reality. But this hope is now a pipe dream. It is like a mirage disappearing in a desert storm, an optical illusion.

Someone needs to pinch us and bring us back to reality.

Special passes may see eclipse of ‘genuine’ Sabahans

KOTA KINABALU - An opposition assemblyman has slammed the federal government’s decision to issue special passes to foreigners in Sabah, saying they would eventually eclipse the number of “genuine” Sabahans.

Joniston Bangkuai, the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) assembyman for Kiulu, said issuing the special passes to foreign nationals to remain in the state was tantamount to allowing them to multiply.

Returning land to school the 'correct thing to do'

KOTA KINABALU: Returning the 7,200 sq. ft. piece of land to Kota Kinabalu Chung Hwa primary school is the correct thing to do because the land will benefit Kota Kinabalu people as a whole, said Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee. 

He said SUDC has lots of other lands all over Sabah that they can develop. 

“SUDC should also pay more attention to their abandoned project known as Star City instead of laying their hands on a meagre 7,200 sq. ft. belonging to a school,” he said.

"KK Chung Hwa School is also a top performing school that deserves the support of the people and the government,” Yong said, adding that there is hardly any more spaces for educational purposes in downtown Kota Kinabalu, which was the reason for the granting of an adjoining piece of land alongside Jalan Tungku Abdul Rahman to the school years ago. 

Asteroid smashes into Caribbean but NASA no idea collision on course

NASA, the American space agency has been tracking hundreds of near-earth objects for the past many years and they believe that monitoring these rogue space bodies could help to develop a better action plan to protect humanity in the future. Even in the midst of this vigorous search to detect threats from space, a small asteroid exploded above the Caribbean and NASA had no idea that the rogue body was approaching.

The incident happened on July 22 and this impact reaffirmed the fact that NASA should pay more attention to near-earth objects approaching the earth. Even though the asteroid that exploded above the Caribbean was just three meters wide, experts believe that such a failure to detect approaching space bodies in the future could bring devastating effects on the planet.

Papar dam, another broken promise by PH and Warisan

COMMENT | Nine community members from the Ulu Papar area have travelled to KL in an effort mobilise West Malaysians to stop the newly proposed Papar Dam in Sabah.

If this dam is built, around 12 villages will be submerged, affecting more than 3,000 villagers living in and around the interior. The Sabahans are part of the Task Force Against Kaiduan Dam who believe that the new Papar Dam is a rehashed Kaiduan Dam proposed by the previous BN government and had been opposed by Pakatan Harapan before the last general election.

Yong: Hong Kong will suffer own crisis alone

Another weekend. Another round of violent riots in Hong Kong. The deliberate escalation of violent riots in Hong Kong can no longer be seen in isolation from the bigger war being waged by western forces to continue their global dominance. The ongoing US-China trade war, military posturing and media campaigns serve as the back drop to the current chaos at Hong Kong.

Duo shot dead after clash with cops in Sabah waters

KOTA KINABALU - Police shot dead two suspected kidnappers following a brief clash in the waters off Sabah’s east coast district of Lahad Datu last night.

Sabah police chief Omar Mammah said a police patrol boat making its rounds some 10 nautical miles from Lahad Datu had spotted two vessels at about 11pm.

When the officers sounded their siren and attempted to intercept the vessels, he said, the boats sped off causing a brief high-speed chase.

Putrajaya's MA63 review is doubtful, a one-side affair

KOTA KINABALU - Sabahans remain unconvinced of Putrajaya’s sincerity in reviewing the Malaysia Agreement 1963, with concerns that the terms of the review being a one-sided affair.

Noting that discussions are still ongoing, political observers say that it is imperative that talks prioritise the 40 per cent return of revenue from the state, and deal with the thorny issue of oil and gas ownership.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah economist James Alin said that negotiations have not been smooth, with Putrajaya dictating the terms.

Talking of poverty? Just look at Sabah and Sarawak!

KOTA KINABALU - Sabah and Sarawak continue to suffer more from poverty than the other states despite being rich in resources, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) president Jeffrey Kitingan said.

While the debate over Malaysia’s poverty line continues, Jeffrey said the two Borneo states remain the poorest in the nation, with those in the rural areas suffering the most.

The Keningau MP attributed this to the “misappropriation” of the wealth of the two states to fund development projects in the peninsula, and the lack of allocations for basic amenities such as water and electricity supply and good roads.

Family planning the answer to alleviating poverty

Recently, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights claimed that Malaysia’s poverty rate at 0.4% was inaccurate, and pointed out that a poverty rate of between 15% and 20% was more realistic.

Many find it hard to survive with their meagre income, they flock to government health facilities until the healthcare staff are totally overwhelmed, many children are poorly nourished despite living among the cities’ skyscrapers, in particular the segment termed the urban poor, and many have just too many mouths to feed and are hardly surviving.

Aug 31 as Malaysia’s National Day an insult to Sarawakians, says activist

KUCHING - A Sarawak activist has described the celebration of National Day on Aug 31 as an “insult” to Sarawakians.

President of the Sarawak Association for Peoples’ Aspiration (Sapa) Dominique Ng said Aug 31, 1957 is not Malaysia’s National Day and is instead the day when Malaya gained its independence.

“Tomorrow, Malaysia is again celebrating the country’s so-called 62nd National Day.

“Sabah and Sarawak were not part of Federation of Malaysia on Aug 31, 1957.

Sabah getting raw deal from federal

KOTA KINABALU - The so-called RM312 million 2019 allocation by the federal government for KK constituency is small as compared to what DAP gave to other states, said SAPP.
Its vice president Gee Tien Siong said that therefore there is nothing to be proud of. Furthermore, most of these projects are in the 11th Malaysia Plan which were approved from before.

Recap: Sabah cuisine is unique, says Masterchef UK 2014 champion

KOTA KINABALU: The Masterchef UK 2014 champion has described Sabahan cuisine as unique during her recent one week vacation in the state.