TAMBUNAN: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the federal government supported the establishment of the KDM College in Kaingaran here as it is the right move to provide wider opportunities for students from Sabah’s interior to pursue higher studies.
“The federal government not only supports the plan, but will also cooperate with the state government to share the cost. However, the amount of the allocation will be determined after reviewing the proposals to be presented soon by Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan,” he said.
“This is what the Barisan Nasional government is all about. If we say we’ll build, we’ll build … and we deliver what we promise,” he said at a meeting with the people and ground-breaking for the KDM College at Pinsompuruan Square, here.
Also present were Najib’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Pairin, who is also the state assemblyman for Tambunan.
Najib said the BN government would not promise something it cannot fulfill, unlike the opposition parties which he said always promised the moon and the stars just to garner support.
“You can fool all the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time, they (opposition) have been fooling the people all this while … they don’t walk the talk and I hope the people in Tambunan can see that,” he said.
The Prime Minister said he has four wishes for Malaysia. But to realise these dreams, he is calling for the people’s continuous support.
Speaking during the Meet The People and KDM College project ground-breaking ceremony here yesterday, Najib said he wants to ensure continuous peace and harmony and safer country for the people.
“I also hope we can do bigger changes, a transformation for both the urban and rural areas, and for the people to earn a high income in line with our aim to be a developed nation.
“My third wish is for me and my colleagues in the government, both central and states, to create opportunities under the great blue sky of 1Malaysia so the people can have a fair share of its benefits.
“I have another dream and that it to lead a better and stronger Malaysia for the future generation,” he said.
He said all this is possible through “Iso (Kadazandusun word for One) Harapan (Hope), Iso Tujuan (One Mission) and Iso Malaysia.”
“That is why I work hard to realise my dreams. In the last three years, we are seeing the changes and I do not think I need to explain one by one because the people can feel it, they know what is being and have been done.
“I dare to say things because I make sure I make it happen. We in Barisan Nasional ensure these promises are fulfilled unlike the opposition who would offer you the sun and the moon, and even the galaxy to get your support. They are no good, only BN can fulfill its words and promises for the good of the people,” he said when addressing over 5,000 people who attended the event at the Pisompuruan Square Tambunan.
The KDM College is expected to be built on a 600-acre site in Kampung Kaingaran, some nine kolometres from here.
Meanwhile, Pairin said with the setting up of the college, locals may pursue their higher learning at their ‘doorstep’.
“Normally parents are forced to send their children to Kota Kinabalu or Peninsular Malaysia to pursue their education, but now they can do it in their hometown, thus lightening the parents’ burden.
“This is a historical moment as it also marks the federal government’s first step towards shaping the Kadazan Dusun Murut (KDM) community and excel alongside other races.
The event, Pairin said, also marked three ‘firsts’ for Najib.
“He is the first Prime Minister to come here, the first Premier to approve, support and contribute financially to the setting up of a KDM Community College and the first Premier to recognise the Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA), its visions and missions,” said Pairin.