Thus far nothing has come of the 10th Malaysia Plan for Sabah announced by Prime Minister Najib on June 10, 2010.
KOTA KINABALU: The Barisan Nasional’s dismal failure from inception to provide Sabah with vital infrastructure and development is enough reason for Sabahans to seek a change at the top, said opposition candidate Joseph Lakai.
“Look at in the interior like in Sook and Nabawan in the Pensiangan parliamentary constituency … there is still has no hospital, police station and fire and rescue department base,” he said to illustrate the expectations of those living in those areas.
It’s these glaring infrastructural limitations that include unpaved roads, lack of piped water supply as well as power supply and telecommunications that has prompted him to take on the powerful BN coalition government.
Frustrated with the minuscule amount of development taking place in his state in comparison to what he has seen in the peninsula, the pilot by training has decided enough is enough and its time for him to join others to make a difference.
His political vehicle of choice is the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and he is now the opposition party’s Liawan division vice-chairman.
He said that while the ruling coalition has boasted that Sabah has been granted the second highest allocation under the 10th Malaysia Plan (RMK10) unveiled by Prime Minister Najib Razak on June 10, 2010, nothing has come of it.
“Where are the projects spelled out in the development plan? Where has the money allocated gone?
“There is little sign of the ‘mega projects’ … there are too many to name that the federal and state government leaders promised the people of Sabah would be implemented during the five years plan,” he said.
He remembers that during the 1994 election when the BN took over Sabah and when Najib, the then Defence Minister, visited Nabawan and announced that a hospital would be built.
“Till today the only structure standing in the proposed site is a signboard about the project,” Lakai said pointing out that the country is already into the second year of the Rancangan Malaysa Ke10 (RMK10).
‘No future’
He added that before Najib read his RMK10 speech, Sabah Tourism Minister Masidi Manjun in an interview had noted that the state needed more funds for basic infrastructure projects like paved roads that would allow farmers to bring out their produce to the market as quickly as possible.
“The rural farmers are now making a living by selling rebung and pucuk ubi by the road side…there is no future.
“Now when their children get a bit older, they run away to Kota Kinabalu and stay in the squatter areas or those who have a bit of money board AirAsia and sleep in the streets in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.
“(It is) a very apt name – the RMK10 as Rancangan Malaya Ke10. Najib is not talking about Malaysia he is just talking only about Malaya, specifically Klang Valley and Selangor,” he said.
Lakai, nicknamed the ‘flying politician’, added that after the plan was announced Sabah ministers were so happy they were patting each other’s back on a job well done.
The excuse for the any delay in implementing any plan, he said, would be bureaucracy.
To get to the money, they have to prepare reports which go through the bureaucratic process from state level up to the federal level.
“That could take the Sabah delivery system at least three years to prepare and send by which time everything has to change because by then the plan is undergoing its mid-term review.
“It is a good way of delaying the projects which means that money for the projects will be delayed as well.
“Then they will say there is the land acquisition issue, weather issue and all the various other issues delaying the project.
“The executing agencies will be blamed for these delays. By that time a new plan has to be ready.
“The projects identified will then become continuation projects. It may even go through the process again as new project for the next five years,” he said.
Billions spent, but not on Sabah
Lakai also warned that other controversial mega projects that had been shelved after grassroots protests could still be forced through.
One of them, he said, is the discontinued coal-fired powered plant which he believes “is going to be shoved down our throat, like it or not. There is RM7 billion allocated for it.”
Sarawak’s Aluminium Smelter Plant could be used as an example of this profligacy, he said, pointing out that the Bakun Dam project had not even been completed and yet to provide sufficient power for it.
“Most of the big projects are in Malaya … billions of ringgit are being spent on them.
“Najib can spend billions on railway tracks, roads, property development and human capital (40%) which is for training like MLVK, but he doesn’t have money to standardise the prices of foodstuffs between Sabah and Malaya.
“This means that Najib is allowing things like the cabotage policy to squeeze Sabah dry and has little concern for the welfare of the people here.”
He said Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan seems to only apply to Malaya.
By Joseph Bingkasan
HAS ALWAYS APPLIED TO MALAYA- THAT WHERE ALL OUR OIL WEALTH DISAPPEARED TO DEVELOP MALAYA....SINCE 1963
ReplyDeleteThe promise made by government should be fulfill. don't let Sabahans lose their confidence.
ReplyDeletejanji haruslah ditepati.
DeleteRakyat Sabah tidak akan mudah terpengaruh dengan janji-janji kosong pembangkang.
DeleteSabah seharusnya dilayan sama rata dengan SM. pembangunan pun perlu diseimbangkan.
ReplyDeletepembangunan di semua kawasan kenalah seimbang.
DeleteBetul kata kamu itu. Pembangunan seharusnya seimbang. Jangan biarkan sebelah pihak saja yang mendapat kelebihan.
DeletePembangunan di Sabah semakin meningkat, dan harap akan lebih banyak kemajuan akan di buat.
Deletekadang kala pembangunan perlu kerjasama rakyat,apa bnyk isu yang muncul dibelakang tu.....
ReplyDeleteKerajaan perlu juga merancang yang terbaik. Maka jika dirancang dengan baik barulah akan mendapat sokongan daripada rakyat.
Deletesemua harus memberikan sepenuh komitmen untuk majukan Sabah.
DeleteRural and Regional Development Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal is confident that by 2015, Sabah and Sarawak would achieve their 95% infrastructure target, in particular roads, through the National Key Result Area, under the Government Transformation Programme 2.0.
ReplyDeleteThe poor and less fortunate people living in the rural areas in Keningau will soon enjoy 24 hour electricity supply through the Assisted Rural Wiring Scheme sponsored by SESB, costs RM8.2m. Participants can have 36 month installment plan where they only need to pay for RM14 a month
ReplyDeletemasa SAPP memerintah dulu, kenapa mereka tidak sediakan hospital, balai polis dan bomba di sook dan nabawan?? sudah jadi pembangkang baru kunun perihatin..
ReplyDeletemasa ada kuasa sapp diam2 saja...baru sekarang mahu bising2.
DeleteMasa SAPP memerintah dulu, parti BN UMNO federal halang projek2 SAPP.
DeleteSekarang BN Umno sudah berkuasa pun juga tidak buat apa-apa.
Parti BN Umno inilah yang telah menyebabkan Sabah jadi negeri termiskin di Malaysia.
BN banyak membantu rakyat Sabah..janji yang di berikan akan di tunaikan.
Deletejika SAPP diberikan peluang sekali lagi memerintah negeri ini, alamat gelaplah masa depan untuk Sabah.. sebab bilion ringgit akan dibelanjakan oleh pemimpin2nya..
ReplyDeleterasanya rakyat sudah menolak SAPP, buktinya masa di Bt Sapi mereka kalah teruk.
Deletejika BN Umno diberikan peluang sekali lagi memerintah negeri ini, gelaplah masa depan untuk Sabah.
DeleteTapi Musa Aman dan kroninya akan menjadi semakin angkuh dan kaya.
Masa depan Sabah akan lebih cerah jika BN masih jadi pemerintah..
Deletekeadaan sekarang lebih baik berbanding masa YTL jadi KM.
ReplyDeletekeadaan sekarang lagi teruk akibat kadar kemiskinan yang tertinggi di Malaysia.
DeleteDimana-mana pun ada kemiskinan, kerajaan berusaha membantu rakyat Sabah untuk keluar dari masalah kemiskinan..tapi tidak boleh harap kerajaan sahaja, rakyat pun perlu berusaha sendiri juga.
Deletejika diihat pembangunan di Sabah sedang rancak berjalan.
ReplyDeletemalah pertumbuhan ekonomi Sabah sekarang semakin menurun.
DeleteLuping said the significant growth and contributions of the three sectors to the state’s economy were obvious now for everyone to see, with tourism emerging as a rising industry with increasing tourist arrivals and construction of more hotels.
DeleteIn the agricultural sector, he said the emphasis was to enhance food production by increasing domestic production and reducing the state’s dependence on imported food products. The agricultural sector contributed RM7.24 billion in revenue in 2010
DeleteLuping said the manufacturing sector was moving at a fast pace with 53 projects approved last year, involving a total capital investments of RM1.5 billion.
DeleteThese developments are there to see. And because of the political stability in the state, foreign investors have been flocking here to invest and the latest statistics is more than RM10 billion
DeleteHopefully the 10th Malaysia Plan for Sabah announced by Prime Minister Najib on June 10, 2010 will benefit the people.
ReplyDeleteThe state government is committed to strengthening the development of education and educational infrastructures in Sabah to produce quality human capital.
ReplyDeletePetronas investments have helped Sabah achieved strong economic growth
ReplyDeleteCM is confident that with cooperation between federal and state governments, elected representatives and civil servants as well as the support of the people, to make Sabah a developed state.
ReplyDeleteThe state government welcomes any initiative that complement efforts to improve the people's welfare and strengthen its land programme, thus it will look into the proposal by Chief Justice of Sabah and Sarawak Richard Malanjum, for the setting up of a Comission or Tribunal to deal with native land matters.
ReplyDeleteChanges in infrastructures could be seen between then and now.
ReplyDelete