DPM slammed for comparing Sabah to China, India

Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin comes under fire for comments on poverty in Sabah and inefficient BN leaders.

KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s shocking comments about poverty in Sabah and his comparison of the situation with China and India have come under heavy criticism.

Common Interest Group Malaysia (CigMa) deputy president, Daniel John Jambun, hit out at Muhyiddin for drawing comparisons between Sabahans and the poor in China and India.

“Why compare Sabah with India and China. Sabah is a resource-rich state and should be comparable to the economy of Singapore, Brunei, Japan and Taiwan. Only an idiot would say we should not complain for being poor in Malaysia,” said Daniel.

Jambun said Muhyiddin should admit gracefully and humbly that without Sabah and Sarawak’s oil resources, Malaysia will be like some countries in Africa.

“He looks down on us because we are poor but look who is stealing from us?” he asked.

Muhyiddin told Sabahans in a remote town, Tongod, on Thursday that poor Sabahans should be satisfied with their lot because they are not as bad as destitute citizens in China and India.

Last year, the World Bank Report revealed Sabah was the poorest state in Malaysia. According to the report, 40% of Malaysia’s poor were centred in Sabah, which incidentally is an oil and gas hub.

The Sabah government, however, has vehemently disputed the report.

Muhyiddin also made a staggering revelation in Tongod that the Barisan Nasional (BN) government has been unable to do much for the landless and hardcore poor in the country due to lack of information.

Upset Umno leaders

Citing Kinabatangan parliamentary constituency, the deputy prime minister said he had been ignorant until now that the constituency is bigger than Pahang, and was shocked to know that Tongod district itself was bigger than Selangor.

Meanwhile, an Umno state leader here who asked not to be identified for fear of victimisation, told FMT that many Umno members are annoyed at Muhyiddin for also questioning the competency of some of the party’s elected representatives.

“Muhyiddin is undoing the great public relations work being done meticulously by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

“While he may not have ill-intentions, he could have used some other words to explain what he wanted to convey. Use more diplomatic words instead of arrogant-sounding statements,” said the Umno man.

Muhyiddin also came under heavy fire in commentaries in portals and blogs that carried his statement in Tongod.

One reader cited comparative figures between the situation in Malaysia and China.

“Starvation in China? Come on… China is 10 times better than Malaysia now. Old people in China are paid on the average RMB1,000 a month by their government.

“Cars are cheaper, though petrol is more expensive but cost of living is much lower than here. Can you get a plate of noodle for RM1.20 in Malaysia (RMB2.50)?

“Fare for city buses in China is standardised at RMB1 or RM0.465. Can you get that in Malaysia?” the reader asked, adding that minimum salary increment in China is in accordance with inflation, while salary in Malaysia has been flat for the last 20 years, lower than inflation. - FMT