I issued an Open Letter to the Barisan Nasional Member of Parliament for Tawau, Shim Paw Fatt, today asking him to resign before May 17 to position Tawau as the centre of state, national and international attention, end the decline of Tawau into an economic backwater and spur super-development with hundreds of millions of ringgit allocations that will be poured in by Barisan Nasional as demonstrated by Machap and Ijok by-elections.

In my Open Letter to Shim, I wanted him to know that my suggestion at a press conference at Sin Onn Market in Tawau yesterday that he resign as Tawau MP was no political game or “child’s play” but a deadly-serious proposal after serious consideration as to how to end the long-standing neglect of Tawau by the Barisan Nasional, whether at the state or federal level, transforming it from a stagnant economic backwater into a vibrant and dynamic growth centre for the region.

I told Shim that nothing in his political life could achieve greater results for the super-development of Tawau than to make a personal sacrifice by resigning as MP for Tawau before May 17, the deadline when any vacancy for a parliamentary seat would have to be filled by a by-election, causing a by-election to be held.

My Open Letter to Shim reads:

YB Shim Paw Fatt,
MP for Tawau,
Tawau.

Dear YB Shim,

Proposal that you resign as MP for Tawau before May 17 to give Tawau the unprecedented opportunity to transform itself from stagnant economic backwater into vibrant growth centre with Barisan Nasional pouring in hundreds of millions of ringgit of allocation for super-development in a by-election

I am taking the unusual step of issuing an Open Letter to you today for two reasons:

Firstly, to underline that my suggestion at a press conference at Sin Onn Market in Tawau yesterday that you resign as Tawau MP was no political game or “child’s play” but a deadly-serious proposal after serious consideration as to how to end the long-standing neglect of Tawau by the Barisan Nasional, whether at the state or federal level, transforming it from a stagnant economic backwater into a vibrant and dynamic growth centre for the region; and

Secondly, that the best way to achieve this objective is to cause a parliamentary by-election which will turn Tawau into the cynosure of state, national and international attention, end the decline of Tawau into a stagnant economic backwater and spur super-development with hundreds of millions of ringgit allocations that will be poured in by Barisan Nasional as demonstrated by Machap and Ijok by-elections.

I want to assure you that in making this unusual proposal, I am not being personal but being fully professional, as you would yourself agree that nothing in your political life could achieve greater results for the super-development of Tawau than to make a personal sacrifice by resigning as MP for Tawau before May 17, the deadline when any vacancy for a parliamentary seat would have to be filled by a by-election, causing a by-election to be held.

For over a decade, the soco-economic and urban woes of Tawau have kept increasing and worsening, as illustrated by the following:

• Lack of job opportunities forcing the young people of Tawau to leave the district to go to other parts of Sabah and Malaysia to find a living.

• Although Tawau is a major contributor of the state revenue from its oil palm FFB (Fresh Fruit Bunch), the district has not received proper returns from the revenue to ensure the proper and planned development of Tawau as a thriving urban and economic growth centre.
• Decline of Tawau as a centre for tourism.
• People of Tawau have lost their fundamental right to be free from crime and the fear of crime as a result of rocketing crime rate, turning Tawau into one of the worst centres of crime in Sabah and Malaysia.
• Unchecked and spiraling influx of illegal immigrants. I am told that illegal immigrants had worsened in the past decade from one to four to one to three, when taking into consideration the illegal immigrants who had been given false identifications including voting rights.
• Deplorable infrastructure facilities which discourages business and investment like the shocking state of power supply, with power disruptions as often as 10 times a day.
• Deplorable water supply with frequent disruptions, poor quality and abysmal management issuing billings going back to 20-30 years.
• Deplorable road and drainage conditions, traffic jams, lack of car parking lots, poor refuse disposal service and street-kids problems.
• Lack of municipal good governance as illustrated by the Sabindo open space scandal, with the Tawau municipality teeming with “Little Napoleons” defying the Prime Minister and the Sabah State Cabinet in depriving the fundamental right of the people of Tawau to open spaces and recreational grounds.

The Machap and Ijok by-elections have shown that if there is a by-election, there will not only be an outpouring of development funds, even problems which had been impossible to resolve would be soluble overnight.

This is an unprecedented opportunity for you to spur super-development by bringing in funds to Tawau not in terms of millions, tens of millions but in the hundred-million ringgit bracket.

If you have doubts, you should seek public opinion from the people of Tawau whether your resignation as MP before May 17 to cause a by-election to be held would spur super development and unprecedented opportunity for the resolution of the catalogue of urban and socio-economic woes of the people of Tawau.

If necessary, I am prepared to meet you to discuss my proposal. Let me end my assuring you that I have nothing personal against you in making such a proposal, but you would agree that if there is no better way to ensure the instant attention of the State and Federal authorities to spur super-development of Tawau, this is an option which must receive your serious, immediate and selfless consideration.

Yours sincerely,

(Lim Kit Siang)
Parliamentary Opposition Leader
29th April 2007