Shafie delivering his speech at the roadshow.
KOTA KINABALU (Sept 13): The people have been urged to be wary of sweet promises as the state election nears.
When asked to comment on the state government’s recent push for additional Parliamentary seats for Sabah, Parti Warisan (Warisan) president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal said it is not a form of begging, as it is already provided under the Constitution for the state to have one-third Parliamentary representation in the country.
“It is yet to be passed by the Parliament anyway. There will be a session in October, will they be tabling this proposal then? And how many seats are we getting? These are very crucial for Sabahans to look into.
“It cannot be purely sweet talk at the end of the day, but we appreciate it if it truly is a concrete decision made by the government of the day to give Sabah additional seats,” he said at a Warisan roadshow near Sepanggar on Saturday.
On whether he thinks the proposal is mere election goodies, Shafie said he would not be surprised if it is, questioning why groundbreaking ceremonies for projects are only carried out close to election season and not earlier in the state government’s term.
He recalled that even though Warisan’s rule did not reach 20 months, they had immediately issued land grants and opened a cooking oil factory in Tawau to kickstart downstream industries and create more jobs for locals.
“Whatever riches Sabah has, whether it is gold, oil or gas, we will work with Petronas, no problem, but we have to ensure the creation of a downstream sector in Sabah.
“Malaysia is our beloved country. We should enjoy what it has to offer. Not only one place, but all the places should be able to enjoy them,” he said.
Shafie also expressed regret over the current situation faced by Sabahans, including lack of water and electricity supply as well as poor road conditions.
He questioned where the hundreds of millions in allocations recently announced to fix these issues had gone and called for strict action.
“If we become the government tomorrow, I will bring the Works Department director, Finance Ministry permanent secretary and federal officers to look into who has been building and managing these roads,” he said.
Responding to statements on Warisan’s cancellation of water companies or contracts during its time, he said that despite the cancellations, water supply was better back then because Warisan had placed around 1,600 officers from those companies permanently in the State Water Department.
He was confident that Warisan can overcome these problems, suggesting solutions such as deepening the Babagon Dam to catch water for statewide supply.
Pointing to China, he said the country was able to build a multipurpose dam producing hydrogen, water and electricity in just four years, and Sabah can do the same.
“If Warisan rules again, we will liaise with China to expedite such projects here. I don’t want the rakyat to say that these are all just mere promises.
“However, they cannot expect us to solve this issue a day after becoming the government. We will first focus on immediate needs such as for hospitals, universities and villages,” he said.
Meanwhile, 1,016 people from various parties including Parti Bersatu Sabah, United Sabah National Organisation and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah joined Warisan’s Tuaran division during the roadshow.
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