SEMPORNA: Sabah Umno deputy information chief Datuk Ramlee Marahaban said the ability of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman in developing Sabah had been proven in various aspects, including in terms of political stability and economy of the State.
Ramlee said Musa’s ability could not be denied or rivaled by any leader.
He said it was inappropriate to compare the capability of Musa with Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
“The opposition party has been spreading unjustified claims in social media that Musa has failed to develop and govern the State, especially Semporna.
“In my view, it was Shafie who failed and quit the party which proved that most of the projects he implemented when he was the Rural and Regional Development (KKLW) Minister did not meet the target and failed to meet the needs of the people,” said Ramlee, who is also Bugaya assemblyman.
According to Ramlee, as minister, Shafie received RM20 billion allocation to develop Sabah, but most of the projects implemented by KKLW did not meet the target.
He claimed that most of the projects implemented by Shafie failed such as the water supply project worth RM50 million in Semporna, the road projects for villages throughout Sabah, including in Semporna that were built in private plantations and not for the benefit of the people.
The RM100 million allocation for the water supply project in Pulau Gaya could not be accounted for, he further claimed.
“Not only that, the project to replace the old pipes in Tongod worth RM27 million also failed – the old pipes were not replaced and were reused instead.
“The rural electricity supply project for seven islands in Semporna worth RM93.5 million also failed as it depends on the weather condition to function,” Ramlee alleged.
“Unlike Musa, he has proven his ability of bringing about development in all districts in the State from the day he took over the helm.
“We have also received a five-star rating for managing the state finances and Musa has succeeded in increasing the State’s reserve to billions. We only had more than RM100 million when he first took over as Chief Minister,” said Ramlee, who is also the Assistant Finance Minister.
Ramlee was responding to a statement which stated that Musa had deliberately blocked development in Semporna due to personal interest which was not true.
He said every district in the state was not excluded from the development process, including Semporna.
Recently, Ramlee said Musa had approved the acquisition of 6,000 acres of communal land and 2,000 acres of land under the Pantas Programm for the people in Semporna so that they can occupy and work on the land which could improve their living standards.
“Not only the land title, our Chief Minister has also approved an allocation for the construction of a sport complex in Semporna and he is also expected to come to Semporna on February 28 for the groundbreaking ceremony of a public market.
“This shows that Semporna was never left out from the develoment process and the Chief Minister never forgets the people here,” he said.
Therefore, he said based on the current state of development in Sabah, the people could assess the ability and the determination of the Chief Minister in developing the State and its people.
Ramlee hopes that people will not easily believe the issues raised by the opposition with the intention of toppling the Barisan Nasional government that has been fighting for the people all this while.