Sabah activists agree 100 days too short for fair assessment

However, they stand firm in their belief that projects such as the Tanjung Aru Eco Development and Papar Dam should be stopped.

Children protesting against the dam project. Many activists want the Sabah government to keep its promise to scrap the project. (File pic)

KOTA KINABALU: A social activist says people should not look too much into the 100-day report card of the new Sabah government as it should be given a fair amount of time to make changes in the state.

SM Muthu said he would give the Parti Warisan Sabah-led government about two years before he could reasonably assess if they had delivered on their promises.

SM Muthu.

“They just took over from the previous (Barisan Nasional) government that ruled for some 24 years in Sabah,” he said, adding that he did not recall Warisan making any 100-day promises.

“It’s not easy to undo whatever has been done by the former administration. Give them two to three years and then do a mid-term report… let’s be fair,” he told FMT.

While he acknowledged the new government, which is also made up of Pakatan Harapan and Upko, will have to be bold to make changes, Muthu particularly objected to decisions like the Tanjung Aru Eco-Development (TAED) project.

“I’m not happy with the TAED. They (Warisan) clearly said it was a no-go (before the election) and (Tanjung Aru rep and Warisan vice-president) Junz Wong repeated it after the election.

“Now, they are saying they will review it and it might proceed. It seems it might continue but with some changes. You are letting people down after promising otherwise earlier.

“The land (Tanjung Aru beach and surroundings) is not a private land but a government land which means it belongs to the people. And there should not be any reclamation,” he said.

Muthu, who is also a co-ordinator for conservation group Save Open Space Kota Kinabalu, said the government should also conduct proper dialogues with the people concerning the dam issue in Papar.

“If the government is serious, call for a dialogue with related NGOs and people there,” he said, adding the opposition should contribute by giving good ideas and making constructive criticism.

“Don’t hit out just for the sake of blaming (someone). But if the government is not doing their job, then by all means ‘whack’ them,” he said.

Beverly Joeman.

Civil rights activist Beverly Joeman agreed that the 100-day notion was overrated, saying it was just a guide of their election promises and manifesto.

But to undo the “mess” left by the BN administration in the past would take longer, she said, contending the “100 days” was not important in measuring the government’s effort to put the affairs of the state in order.

“And while Warisan did not mention 100 days (promises), I still see the state government as a coalition with DAP and PKR. For me in this case, Upko is immaterial because they sang a different song during the election.

“Therefore, to be fair, the next five years will be crucial for the government to perform well and the people will continue to monitor their performance. After all, it must be said that GE14 for Sabah was a 29-29-2 result, not a ‘Sabah Baru’ in its entirety,” she said.

Joeman was, however, adamant controversial projects like the TAED and the dam should not be continued.

Nani Sakam.

Pertubuhan Penyatuan Islam Sabah president Nani Sakam also believes that the 100-day assessment was impractical.

“100 days are only about three months. It’s too short and it is impossible to settle all the problems.

“Actually, the Sabah government has delivered on some of its promises,” he said, without elaborating.

“It will take longer to have a complete change and as such, they should be given time to do so.”

PBS’ Kiulu assemblyman Joniston Bangkuai was earlier reported as saying that the new state government did not seem to know how to administer the state. -FMT