TAWAU: Parti Warisan Sabah Tawau chairman Abdillah Hamid said a statement made by Umno Semporna’s Kg Balembang branch chief Datuk Ainal Fattah in a local daily on Tuesday that Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal failed to bring developments in Semporna are blatant lies.
Abdillah, who was former deputy minister of National and Rural Development under the era of Parti Berjaya and Silam member of parliament, said Ainal is living in Kota Kinabalu and is out of touch of developments in Semporna.
“In reality, Shafie has transformed Semporna into a developed town. When he (Shafie) was a federal minister, he brought a lot of development,” Abdillah said here yesterday.
He said Shafie brought 24-hour electricity to Pulau Bum-Bum, hybrid solar electricity supply to remote islands such as Pulau Larapan, Pulau Bait, Pulau Danawan, Pulau Menampilik and other islands.
“The Rural and Regional Development Ministry under Shafie brought lots of development projects to Semporna and Ainal’s village Kg Balembang was not left out where his area has a new RM8 million jetty,” he pointed out, adding that Ainal had insulted Shafie and in Islam it is slander.
He said if there was no development in Semporna and the people were poor as Ainal had claimed then Ainal as branch chief should have brought the problems to higher levels or during the recent Umno convention.
“When I was the Silam MP, I brought in some developments to Semporna, Kunak and Lahad Datu under the Silam parliamentary constituency. Now Semporna, under Shafie is developed,” he said.
“As a member of Warisan, I think Ainal as the Umno Kg Balembang branch chief is also making a mistake by saying Tun Mustapha and Tan Sri Harris failed to make a political comeback. Tun teamed up with PBS and defeated Berjaya. If Ainal still remembers, Harris as chief minister from 1976 to 985 has brought developments to Sabah,” he said.
“Ainal should also remember, we both studied law at Buckingham University in England (1982-1983) under a state scholarship. He came back and practise law and I entered politic. Please Ainal, don’t humiliate past leaders Tun Mustapha and Tun Fuad, our independence fathers,” he said. “As to Warisan, he can say what he wants, let us wait for the 14th General Election. Shafie is the right leader to lead Sabah through Parti Warisan Sabah,” he said.