Sabah in Turmoil - was given a bait ( Bergelora - Dapat Umpan )

Dr Hatta’s Blog - Sabah Bergelora

Malaysian PM & Sabah CM

.. . and representatives from Sabah have painted the picture that Sabah is not getting the same treatment as other states in the Peninsular Malaysia. For us who are just step into parliament this revelation is shocking. BN propaganda had put faith in us all this while that there had been an equal distribution of development. But it seems that had been nice in the news but not in reality (indah khabar dari rupa).

We are certain that the complains from Sabah is real and has its basis. What bothers us is the high hope given to BN by the representatives from Sabah. It may be due to the Eastern culture practice by us all. It is sad that the top leadership is not sensitive and had taken it easy, especially the complaints are made through innuendos. I proposed that these leaders from Sabah do something daring and concrete: fights for their rights through Pakatan Rakyat. Pakatan has the ambition and will to do justice to all, irrespective of differences in religion, race or political affiliations – more so if the differences is just due to geographical location. Do think about the offer and we are willing to wait.

Selasa, 2008 Mei 13 - rendered into English by e-team

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Sunday, 01 June 2008 KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has announced a series of changes sought by Sabahans, known as the ‘Kaamatan gifts’.

State Barisan Nasional component party leaders, who met Abdullah here on April 17, had unanimously asked for the abolition of the Sabah Federal Development Department (JPPS) and its operations be placed directly under the state government’s supervision.

The Prime Minister’s Department formed JPPS during the PBS administration when Sabah was under opposition rule. The closure ends a 17-year wait by state government leaders to scrap the department. The department was set up in 1991 under the Implementation Coordination Unit.

Like Kelantan, when the state fell to Semangat 46 and PAS, JPP was established to plan, coordinate and monitor implementation of federal government development projects. At the press conference yesterday, Abdullah explained that he decided to abolish the department (JPPS) after considering the state government’s request.

The Incentives In Brief:

Abolition of the Department of Federal Development Sabah

• Abolilion of the Department of Federal Development Sabah (Jabatan Pembangunan Persekutuan Sabah, JPPS) with immediate effect
• The Sabah State Development Office (SDO) will handle the Prime Minister’s special allocations and monitor implementation and progress of federal government projects.
• The allocation from the Federal Government 11 different ministries would be channeled directly to the various Sabah state agencies.

Illegal Immigrants

• a high-powered Cabinet committee to tackle the illegal immigrants to be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Datuk will discuss and solve the perennial illegal immigrants problem in the state.
• Two additional temporary detention center would be built in Sabah the number of five.

Measures for Poverty Eradication

• Form a Focus Group for poverty eradication.
• Use a new distribution formula for development in future.

Special Project

• He also announced that a 300MW (Megawatt) power station would be built in Kimanis, Papar, under a joint venture with Petronas and Yayasan Sabah.

Special additional allocation

• The prime minister also announced a RM1 billion allocation from the prime minister’s special allocation to be distributed according to development requirements in Sabah. The funds would be managed by the Prime Minister’s Department.
• As well as an additional RM400,000 allocation for each state constituency.

Special announcement

• The Prime Minister also announced a Professor from Sabah, Datuk Profesor Kamaruzaman Ampong appointment as the new Vice Chancellor for Universiti Malaysia Sabah berkuat effective 18 Jun.

The PAS state government of Kelantan welcome the move. Kelantan Local Government, Tourism and Culture Committee Chairman Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi must have had strong reasons for fulfilling Sabah's demand for the abolition of the department.

Takiyuddin said, "With the abolition, development projects can now be implemented more smoothly and faster.We hope the same decision can be made in the case of Kelantan because the establishment of the department had caused an overlap of authority."

Terengganu is facing a similar problem which is slightly different. The ‘Oil royalty’ is not going to the state government. Somehow after PAS took over for one term, the ‘Oil royalty’ was changed to ‘wang ehsan’ and it passed through a third party and claimed to have been utilized for undertaking development projects or projects that are beneficial to the people. It was not given back to the state though the BN had ruled the state for a term before the last election.

How long will Kelantan and Terengganu have to wait, before things are corrected? Or is the federal government bent in trying to punish the people of Kelantan for not voting his party into power in the state? Again lest we forgot, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was given the nickname of “the father of announcement” in his previous term in office. There are many things yet to be seen, for instance – will there be ‘hidden hands’ between the Prime Minister coffers and the Sabah state bursary.