KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Kadamaian division passed a resolution at its recent annual general meeting to request the federal government to allow an additional Barisan Nasional manifesto for Sabah in the coming 13th general election.
Division head Datuk Herbert T Lagadan said the delegates also called for the setting up of (a yearly) trust fund by Petronas during the 10th Malaysia Plan period pending the renegotiation of oil royalty.
The details of the trust fund would be RM1 billion for the abolishment of poverty in Sabah, RM1 billion to upgrade rural infrastructure in Sabah and RM1 billion to upgrade schools in Sabah.
“The trust fund is to be administered by the state government,” said Herbert who is also Kadamaian assemblyman.
Meanwhile, PBS president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan said Sabah’s interior had evolved and experienced development since achieving independence, particularly in basic infrastructure and the people’s livelihood.
The Deputy Chief Minister pointed to the fact that buffaloes, besides walking, were the main modes of transportation for the villagers back then.
“I once walked for 12 hours to reach some remote villages and our group had to stay overnight in chilly conditions because there was no access road for vehicles,” recalled Pairin, who is also the Infrastructure Development Minister.
He said the scenario was now one of progress because he was determined to serve the people who had chosen him to be their representative.
“Inevitably there would be setbacks now and then. But I have never abandoned PBS; I have not neglected my constituents and I will continue to serve them as long as I am capable,” he said at a meet-the-people session accompanied by his wife Puan Seri Genevieve Lee Kitingan at Kampung Tinompok in Keningau yesterday.
Pairin, who is also Tambunan state assemblyman, was also feted to a birthday party by the villagers in conjunction with his 72th birthday.