RM1.641 BILLION NOT REACHED THE INTERIOR

By : DAP INTERIOR MEDIA

IT SOUNDS good to know that the Sabah Chief Minister has publicly announced the so-called allocation of a huge development fund of RM1.641 Billion last year for the people of Sabah, Malaysia and that he has officially declared in the Daily Express of Sunday's issue dated October 2, 2011 that quoted; "RM1.641 Billion spent on development for people" and he expressed his media statements saying, "We are thankful that we have succeeded in achieving the 'Zero' hardcore poor holdhold target at the end of last year" during the occasion of his Excellency the Governor of Sabah, Malaysia's 58th official birthday celebration at the Palace (Istana Negeri) in Kota Kinabalu city, Sabah recently.

Perhaps, many urban people are unaware of the real situations in the rural areas and the interior of Sabah, Malaysia but DAP Sabah have been there with the grass-root rural communities in their unfailing efforts and obligations to help the unfortunate rural hardcore poor people living in the rural areas.

To declare there was a 'Zero' hardcore poverty elevation for Sabah is absolutely untrue and misleading to the people of Sabah! It is unfortunate that there are many highly qualified people and authorities keeping silence over this issue of public interest.

The people of the rural areas were taken aback and surprised that Sabah has already achieved a 'zero' hardcore poverty while in contrast, thousands of the neglected hardcore poor families are suffering in silence from extreme hardships and lack of malnutrition in many parts of the interior of Sabah, particularly in remote areas and rural villages in and around Keningau, Bingkor, Apin-Apin, Tenom, Melalap, Kemabong, Sook, Nabawan and Pensiangan in the interior of Sabah according to the survey conducted by DAP Sabah interior mobile service team.

They have actually witnessed the many dilapidated broken and deteriorating houses, hardcore poor children without proper nultrition and survived daily on porridge and sauce and sometimes with cheap saulted fish bought from the weekly ‘Tamu’. Some could hardly afford clothings and shoes.

Elderly sick rural folks were without proper food and lack of medication due to lack of money for transportation to the rural clinics.

Hardcore poor children had to abandon their homes in search for odd jobs in the factories and mills as their hardcore poor and old parents could hardly afford to feed them. School children of the hardcore poor had to give up schooling in their early ages due to poverty problems and the like!

Some hardcore parents cried when they were being interviewed by DAP Sabah interior service team as they confessed that they had no money to buy decent food to feed their children. They suffered from malnutrition due to poverty! These were some of the evidences and extreme cases that the hardcore poor families in the rural areas faced and suffered in silence!

It is sad to recall that Sabah was once the richest State in Malaysia before Barisan Nasional Government took over the administration.

Albeit the Government had taken many initiates and efforts to alleviate poverty but the problems still existed. We are not here to blame the Government but to offer a feed-back, constructive criticisms and ideas in order to improve the standard of living of the people, particularly in the interior of Sabah, Malaysia. Sabah would have done remarkably well in social, economy and poverty reduction if the current management and delivery systems of the Government could improve to meet the people's needs and aspirations!

The basic rural infrastructure development and public amenities should be improved if the allocation of RM1.641 Billion could be well spent for the people in the rural areas and the interior of Sabah, Malaysia stated Dr Benjamin Yapp, DAP Sabah Parliamentary Liaison Chief for Keningau and Tenom in a statement made in Keningau, Sabah.

With such huge allocation, the rural road infrastructures, bridges, public amenities and utilities’ could have been improved and upgraded but why are there still remain in a state of under development and neglect in the interior?

Many rural people questioned the rationale on the Government's allocation of RM1.641 Billion that had not reached the interior for the basic rural infrastructure development and they also asked whether there was any truth that the BN Government had achieved the 'Zero' Hardcore poverty target as they questioned the credibility of such a public bold statement made by the Chief Minister of Sabah as to why there still have thousands of hardcore poor households earning between RM200-RM500 a month on small plougs of land for vegetables to be sold in the ‘Tamu’ grounds.

The incidences of hardcore poverty exists in the rural districts in Keningau, Tenom, Sook, Nabawan and Pensiangan in Sabah according to Dr Benjamin Yapp, who is also a Diplomat member of the World Affairs Council on Social, Economic & Political Development.

DAP Sabah urged the Government to immediately implement the basic rural infrastructure development projects and for the target hardcore poverty households and the rural communities.

With the provision of numerous assistances and micro-credit financing for farmers and hawkers toward improving their standard of living to be proudly declared a State with poverty reduction; instead of merely giving the people an irrational raw deal as the people in the interior are experienced, intelligent and knowledgeable people who have a high expectation and aspiration for the rural society dev elopement and their future generations!

- Sabahkini