PAPAR: Heavy traffic congestion while commuting daily to and from work in the capital may soon be a thing of the past for residents in the district here.
Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Naiib Tun Razak yesterday promised that the narrow two-lane road linking Papar and Lok Kawi would be upgraded in stages if the Barisan Nasional (BN) government remains in power after the next general election.
“I want to say here that I want to return the favour to the people of Papar, the Papar-Lok Kawi road will be widened in stages. The cost involved is huge but we will do it in phases,” he said.
Najib, who promised this when addressing BN supporters during his visit here yesterday, said, this will be part of the continuing development the government will carry out should it be given the mandate by the people.
He said the government has implemented various development plans and programmes with many more, including public infrastructure projects, in the pipeline and waiting to be rolled out.
However, he said, the government would not be able to carry on with its efforts to improve public facilities without the continuous support from the people. As such, he said, it was vital for the voters in the State and the rest of the country to choose wisely in the coming election, by judging BN based on its proven track record and not be deceived by the opposition’s empty promises.
“Supporting BN means ensuring a better future. We want changes but what kind of changes. The kind that promises us a better future, not just empty promises that could not be delivered like the opposition.
“Sabah is a huge State. Some of the areas here are even bigger than the whole state of Pahang, which is why it takes time and more allocations to develop the State. This is why we want the mandate from the people, for us to develop the economy and bring about development.
“I went overseas to market Malaysia, to attract more investments because we want to increase the income of the country for the people. As long as BN is the government, we do not need to worry, we will not organize Bersih 1, 2, 3. We will implement instead BR1M 1, 2, 3, 4. BR1M 3 will come next year,” he said.
The BN chairman said the opposition have claimed that they could win Beaufort, Papar and Tuaran but his visit to the three areas clearly showed that the people have always been and will continue to be with BN.
“They come here to talk a lot, promising the moon and stars, deputy chief minister and even chief minister positions. There are some who have taken the bait and believed in their promises but the people are smarter, they want only leaders who can deliver on issues close to their heart, public infrastructure, roads, houses for the people and so on.
“The head of the opposition now was the deputy prime minister and minister of finance for two terms. At that time, he never pitied the people of Sabah, but today, he is singing a different tune. People like this are no good for anything, more so when they are not even in power any more. We can only hold on to the promises of people who has the power and have proven to deliver their promises,” he added.
Najib said the voters know that it would be unwise for them to gamble their future based only on empty promises of the opposition and they realized very well that the opposition pact was not a stable coalition that they could rely on to govern the country.
He noted that the opposition pact members have their own different agendas and could never truly cooperate with one another.
At the event, Najib also presented BR1M (1Malaysia People Assistance), Government Housing Assistance (PPR) Ko-Nelayan and Agriculture 1Azam assistance and 1Malaysia License Assistance (BL1M) to recipients from the district.