BN partner wants new agency to develop Sabah’s bumiputera economy

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup says the setting up of the new body will also boost the Sabah non-Muslim Bumiputera community's confidence in Barisan Nasional after support was seen to have dropped in the last general election. – The Malaysian Insider pic, November 1, 2015.Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) today proposed the government set up a special body to focus on developing the Bumiputera economy in Sabah.

Its president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup said such a body was not only important, but also seen as a proactive approach in opening up opportunities and injecting new hope to people at the grassroots level.

He said the special body, should carry, among others, five main objectives, namely increasing entrepreneurship, enhancing human capital, boosting land assets, increasing equity ownership, and boosting educational development and welfare.

"PBRS hopes the proposal of setting up the special body be given serious consideration," said Kurup, who is also a minister in the prime minister's department, in his policy speech at the triennial conference of PBRS, in Kota Kinabalu, today.

The conference was opened by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is also Barisan Nasional chairman, with Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman also present.

Kurup said the setting up of such a body could also boost the Sabah Bumiputera community's confidence in Barisan Nasional (BN).

"BN cannot just channel the political message but what is more crucial is effective delivery, such as, through the economic message."

He said Sabah would continue to develop and remain strong under the BN government which always cared for the needs of the people in the state.

On another development, Kurup said Sabah Bumiputera votes, particularly from the non-Muslim Bumiputeras, for BN in the last general election (GE13) showed a decline.

In this regard, he said BN should think of effective ways to command support from voters in the next general election.

"There are six parliamentary constituencies in Sabah, including Pensiangan, which are at risk (for BN) in GE14," he added. – Bernama