Rahman promises jobs, houses in Kota Belud

Newly minted Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan is bent on prioritizing his home constituency's development.

KOTA KINABALU: Located at the foot of the majestic Mount Kinabalu, quaint Kota Belud is set to see “robust” development, according to its two-term MP Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

Although only 70kilometers away from state capital Kota Kinabalu, the constituency which is better known as the ‘land of cowboys’ is  reportedly impoverished.

Water and electricity are available only in pockets and the constituency which was to have been “the rice belt of Sabah” has seen slow movement towards that end.

During his earlier term, Abdul Rahman had come under attack for ignoring the issues plaguing the community. Among them were the controversial RM450mil Tambatuon Dam, poor hospital facilities, water crisis, allegations of land grabs and unemployment.

But what he couldn’t do then,  Abdul Rahman is set to do now.

As the new federal level Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister, he’s prioritizing Kota Belud, his home constituency and pushing to see ‘real time’ changes in the area “within five years”.

“Kota Belud has a bright future. It is ready for robust development. The state government has a clear vision of its development agenda.

“We will continue all the programmes that we have planned here, namely the Jelapang padi programme, and the agropolitan and oil and gas support system,” he said.

He also added that he was aware of the outstanding issues in the constituency and will tackle the utility and infrastructure needs of the people within the next five years .

Spelling out his development agenda for the next five years, he said  Kota Belud had been earmarked for the Usukan Bay Oil and Gas Support Industry Centre, the Kota Belud-Pitas Agropolitan Project and a public housing project.

Jobs, housing

Kota Belud, he said, would also make up part of the much touted 2,300km Pan Borneo highway linking Sabah and Sarawak.

According to him, the Usukan Bay Oil and Gas Support Industry Centre, which is being developed by Sabah Foundation and Petronas Asian Supply Base, will create more than 1,000 jobs for the locals.

“The project will help raise the income, skills and capabilities of locals, particularly young people who want to involve themselves in oil and gas industry and related sectors.

“As such, young people must be ready to learn and pursue relevant courses in order to contribute to the development of the industry within the next three years.

“Otherwise, they will miss the opportunity to grow with the industry,” Abdul Rahman added.

He said the BN Kota Belud Parliamentary Constituency Office would work closely with Petronas Asian Supply Base to identify young people who were eligible to participate in the industry.

Meanwhile Bernama quoted Abdul Rahman as saying that his ministry will be looking into affordable housing in Sabah, especially in Kota Belud.

The Kota Belud MP said he would identify suitable sites for affordable housing in Kota Belud for middle-income residents.

“We are looking for locations to build more than 500 units of affordable houses.

“The ministry will accelerate the construction of affordable homes for the people.

“And we are committed to ensuring the successful completion of national housing projects in the state,” he said.