KENINGAU: Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup has refuted the claim by DAP leaders that there is no electricity supply to nine villages in the Pensiangan parliamentary constituency.
“The allegation by DAP leaders that nine villages in the Pensiangan constituency do not have electricity supply even though electric poles and cables have been installed is not true as the villages actually have electricity supply,” said Kurup.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department told a press conference here on Thursday that the villages, namely Kampung Sinua, Tuawon, Sinaron Tengah, Sinaron, Mengkerimot, Mansiat, Lalapakon, Seselungon and Nandagan were all receiving electricity supply, including the Sabah Rubber Industry Board (SRIB) Nandagan Scheme, Ulu Bonod and Kampung Ulu Dumbun.
“The DAP leaders’ allegation may be because they were wrongly informed by villagers who do not know the real situation,” he said.
Kurup, who is the member of parliament for Pensiangan, said DAP leaders should not meddle in matters relating to Pensiangan area as it is far away from their areas of responsibility.
He said he considered the allegation by DAP leaders as a big lie and deliberately made for political mileage.
Kurup said electricity supply to other villages, namely Kg Melosok, Kahaba, Dalit Gana, Dalit Laut, Punggol, Inandung and Kalampun was ready but put on hold due to upgrading work on the Ansip-Dalit road.
He said the road upgrading work involved relocating many electricity poles, hence electricity supply to the villages had to be delayed.
However, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) had informed that the electricity supply would start next year once the relocation of the electricity poles had been completed, he said, adding that “this is the actual situation.”
Kurup said the claim by DAP leaders that quarrying activities had resulted in a shortage of water for the paddy fields in Kampung Penagatan and its surrounding areas was also untrue.
“Actually, the shortage of water for the paddy fields in the area is caused by a change in the ecosystem of Pegalan river brought about by natural disasters, such as floods and climate change, which affected not only this area but the whole country and even the world.
“The allegation by DAP that residents in the area face shortage of rice due to the quarry activities is not true because the shortage of rice does not occur throughout the whole season but only when there is a drought which resulted in water shortages for the paddy fields,” he said.
Without indicating a time frame, Kurup said that the Drainage and Irrigation Department had already made plans to improve the drainage system and overcome the shortage of water supply to the paddy fields in the area.
Present at the press conference were PBRS deputy president Arthur Joseph Kurup and PBRS Youth chief Matusin Bowie.