Bung’s wrong, Sabah DCM says on ‘all talk’ claims

 

Sabah deputy chief minister Jeffrey Kitingan says that in the long run, the state government is expected to generate surplus power from sources such as hydro, solar and ocean thermal energy. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: A Sabah deputy chief minister has dismissed claims by Umno’s Bung Moktar Radin that Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) leaders are “all talk”, citing ongoing efforts to resolve power supply and water problems in the state.

Jeffrey Kitingan said the ruling coalition was currently looking into the long-standing issue of power cuts which had plagued the state even when Bung was in government.

Bung was dropped from Hajiji Noor’s Cabinet in January 2023 following a failed attempt to oust the chief minister.

Kitingan said the issue would be resolved by June.

“And in the long run, the Sabah government is expected to generate surplus power from other sources such as hydro, solar and ocean thermal energy,” he told FMT.

Similarly, the water problem in the state was not new, he said, adding that it had existed even when Bung was the deputy chief minister. The only difference now was that Sabah was enduring a drought due to the El Nino phenomenon.

Kitingan said the Sabah government had taken short-term measures to address this problem by resolving water thefts, distributing water to villages and cloud seeding.

The state government has also taken proactive steps to protect its water sources by gazetting water catchment areas.

“(And these measures prove) what Bung says is totally untrue. He is just politicking,” he said.

On Tuesday night, Bung said GRS leaders were “all talk, no action”, accusing them of repeatedly making announcements without resolving any of the state’s problems. - FMT