Sat, 20 Nove 2010
By Queville To
Free Malaysia Today
KOTA KINABALU: DAP is calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate how Sabah, which was once a rich state, had crashed to a point that it was now the “poorest” in Malaysia and is “likely to stay that way for a considerable length of time”.
In making the call, party adviser Lim Kit Siang also asked how the government had allowed the state to become the poorest in the country if there was “inclusive growth”.
Lim was commenting on a World Bank Report last week which noted that 40% of Malaysia’s poor were centred in Sabah, making it the poorest state in the country.
The embarrassing disclosure has since sent state officials helter-skelter looking for arguments to counter the report, which has triggered an uproar against the state government.
Lim said the exhaustive report has exposed the lie that there was “inclusive growth” in the country.
“Sabah should not have become the poorest state… it was once one of the richest states before entering into Malaya, together with Sarawak, to form Malaysia, 47 years ago.
“As emphasised in the official report, ‘inclusive growth’, means benefiting every Sabahan and Malaysian and not just a handful of people. It has been the key objective of the government of Malaysia since Independence.
“This (report) is an indictment of the government that after 47 years it has failed to fulfil its promises to the people of Sabah,” he told reporters here yesterday.
Eradication on wrong track
Lim said it was alarming that the World Bank’s Human Development Sector had found that “Sabah is not only the poorest state in Malaysia, but is likely to stay that way for a considerable length of time given current efforts on poverty eradication”.
“This means that Sabah will not only be the poorest state in Malaysia but will continue to be the poorest unless there is a total change in policy,” he said, adding that the economic plan in Sabah was neither balanced nor fair nor equitable nor sustainable for all Sabahans.
Lim said that though the government might have tried for years to eradicate poverty, it was obviously on the wrong track as the report showed that Sabahans would continue to struggle to make ends meet, especially those living in the rural areas.
He said that a Royal Commission of Inquiry should be formed to further probe on whether the guarantees given to Sabah and Sarawak in 1963 when they agreed to establish Malaysia had been fulfilled.
“Both Sabah and Sarawak could be as developed as Peninsular Malaysia. That was what they had hoped but it is clear now that the hope has not been fulfilled.”
Lim said that since DAP alone could not force the setting up of such a commission, it is urging all Sabah BN Members of Parliament to give their full support to determine why Sabah has remained in the backwaters.
Also present at the press conference yesterday were Sabah DAP chairman-cum-Kota Kinabalu MP Hiew King Cheu, Sri Tanjung assemblyman Jimmy Wong and DAP national publicity assistant secretary Teo Nie Ching.
#1 by boh-liao on Saturday, 20 November 2010 - 3:19 pm
Definitely need 2 set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry 2 investigate Y Samy Vellu is 2 be appointed as d goment’s special envoy 4 infrastructure with ministerial status
#2 by boh-liao on Saturday, 20 November 2010 - 3:29 pm
R U sure Sabah is poor? CM Musa Aman just announced:
Sabah is set 2 spend RM2.94bil next year, d state’s largest budget
D special allocation 4 state assemblymen had been increased fr RM400,000 2 RM1mil
D assistance 4 d poor in each Sabah state constituency is 2 b increased fr d present RM50,000 to RM100,000 yearly
#3 by yhsiew on Saturday, 20 November 2010 - 3:48 pm
///Sabah is set 2 spend RM2.94bil next year…./// #2
Part of the money will be hijacked into private pockets.
#4 by waterfrontcoolie on Saturday, 20 November 2010 - 6:02 pm
Is he preparing all of them for a short notice termination of employment? If Sabahans cannot see this cheap trick, then they deserve to remain poor and get swindled every now and then! We note with regert that many are just conmen swinging from one tree to anotheer just to preserve their own survival. It is hope if ever the cash is given, take it, it is your money, then vote base on your own judgement. Do not feel obliged to anyone, because it is your own money which they are RETURNING TO YOU!!!
#5 by born in Malaya on Sunday, 21 November 2010 - 10:38 am
In Malaysia, there will always have many-many poor people since UMNOs/BN only help Malays, the rich Malays will be even richer since they have all the privilege and special rights.
All Malaysians are cheated by UMNOs when they say that the NEP is to help the poor, actually it only help one race “Malays” whether they are rich or poor.
You poor Chinese and Indians and Malays, if you do not want to be poor, don’t vote for this Racist government. If you continue to vote for this Racist government, you have yourselves to be blamed!!!!.
You are really stupid to vote for a government who take away all your rights and treated you as a second class citizens.
#6 by k1980 on Sunday, 21 November 2010 - 11:43 am
http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/21safe/Article/
It is also advisable to put mousetraps on the roof. “Thieves usually enter through the roof and homeowners who have placed mousetraps there have managed to nab the thieves after their feet got caught in the traps.
Goody goody, now the policemen can have the excuse not to go on patrol because thieves can be caught by mousetraps. Why not also rear tigers in the house so that they can maul the thieves who break in?