Joe Fernandez| October 5, 2014
Free Malaysia Today

“Hearts and minds” initiative to improve quality of life in rural areas reaches poverty-stricken Northern Sabah.

KOTA KINABALU: Impian Sabah, a DAP Sabah outreach programme, seems determined to rub the ruling Barisan Nasional’s (BN) nose in the dirt.

An Impian Sabah team turned up this time in Pitas, one of the poorest spots in Malaysia, to fund a basic access road for six villages with about 3,000 people to connect with the nearest town about 7.4 km away. Pitas is situated in the right wolf’s ear of Sabah on the map.

“We handed over RM33,000 on Saturday to the people at a ceremony in Kampung Dowokon, Pitas, for them to build the road,” said Sandakan MP Stephen Wong who also co-ordinates the Impian Sabah Programme.

“The money, sourced from the public, will cover phase one of the project. It will cover 3.8 km of the road,” Wong explained.

Dowokon will share the funds with five other villages viz. Mandamai, Kobon Seberang, Perupok, Maliau Pusat and Maliau Layung.

“At present, the villagers are completely reliant on the Sungai Bengkoka which has become increasing shallow and difficult to navigate due to extensive silt,” said Wong who is also DAP Sabah Deputy Chairman.

“A 12 km river journey takes more than two hours to complete,” he added.

With the completion of the first phase of the project, the villagers don’t have to rely solely on the water level of the river to travel in and out, he added. “They can sell their cash crops easily and the children can attend a school nearer to the village.”

The next phase, he stressed, will cover the installation of basic infrastructure like culverts and drainage.

Impian Sabah and Sarawak is a DAP “hearts and minds” initiative to provide basic infrastructure, education and economic-uplifting projects in the rural areas of Malaysian Borneo.