KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah state assembly yesterday passed the bill to amend the People’s Development Leaders Enactment to the Community Development Leaders Enactment.
Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department, Datuk Ariffin Arif said the amendment was made through the rebranding of the People’s Development Leaders Unit (UPKR) into the Community Leaders Development Unit (UPPM) in changing or renewing its direction, vision and mission to reach the targets without sacrificing the original objectives.
“With the rebranding, the progammes and activities will be more specific and focused covering areas that relate to political stability, the state’s development direction, harmony and prosperity.
“It will take into consideration the wants and needs of the government and people to realise the 1Malaysia concept based on the principle of ‘People First, Performance Now’,” he said when tabling the bill.
Ariffin said UPPM’s vision was to be a sustainable and effective administrative machinery by 2018, while its mission was to mobilise the people to participate in and support the state’s development efforts, implementing the transformation programmes and building smart partnership and collaborations in the planning, implementation and evaluation of administrative programmes.
Earlier when debating on the bill, Datuk Saddi Abd Rahman (BN-Sukau) said he hoped the rebranding of UPKR to UPPM would see an overall transformation and not just in name, especially in providing enough facilities like suitable vehicles for use on hilly terrain and to cover large areas like Kinabatangan in order to serve the people better.
Datuk Rubin Balang (BN-Kemabong) hoped the rebranding would breathe new life into UPPM to improve work productivity and quality. At the assembly, state Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor said the trading licence for traders at the markets could only be given to Malaysian citizens.
Replying to a question from Datuk Seri Wilfred Bumburing (PKR-Tamparuli), he said the process of issuing the non-transferable licence was tight as the applicants had to submit a certified copy of their identity card and birth certificate, besides completing the special form issued by the local authorities, among other requirements.
Hajiji said according to statistics from the Sabah Hawkers and Petty Traders Consultative Council, there were 11,895 such traders in the state up to February 2014 and all were Malaysian students.
Meanwhile, state Agriculture and Food Industry Assistant Minister, Datuk Musbah Jamli said this year, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board targeted to plant 8,000 hectares of land with oil palm with the giving of the RM9,000 incentive per hectare to smallholders.
As for cocoa cultivation this year, he said the target was 1,200 hectares in Ranau, Tenom, Kota Marudu, Kota Belud, Keningau, Sook and Tawau, including Pulau Sebatik. — Bernama