KOTA KINABALU: Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor yesterday expressed confidence that the Barisan Nasional (BN) government will continue to rule the country and the state after the 14th general election (GE14).
The Umno treasurer said his confidence was based on BN’s outstanding performance in bringing progress and development for the well-being of the people especially in Sabah, and the people still accepted the BN and were with the coalition.
“… (based on) the situation on the ground (grassroots support and government development), we are confident that BN will continue to rule the state and federal governments after the upcoming general election,” he told reporters during a meeting with the agencies and departments under his ministry at TH Hotel yesterday.
Hajiji, who is also Sulaman assemblyman, said that voters needed to vote wisely by choosing a government with a proven track record of success.
He warned against all those working under his ministry to refrain from condemning the government on the social media or disciplinary actions might be taken against them.
“We are monitoring this issue. We have advised some of them and if they still wish to continue posting such remarks, we will take the appropriate action to stop them from doing so,” he said.
He admitted that retirees are among those who are very vocal in criticizing the government on social media. However, he contended that their opinions do not really bother him as they have passed their prime.
He warned the people not to be easily swayed by the baseless accusations of the opposition, in which he claimed the latter would often prey on irrelevant issues only.
“The people must be smart in making their choice. They cannot simply surrender the country’s leadership to someone else,” Hajiji said.
“The people must never settle for the opposition just because they are ‘unsatisfied’ … BN has the best formula for everyone … it is all up to us (the people) if we work harder, we will gain more,” he added.
He reiterated that the Malaysian government has one of the best policies in the region.
He also took a swipe against a certain opposition leader, who had recently been accused of corruption.
“He used to criticize the government but now he himself is wearing the ‘orange shirt.’
“I do not want to mention names but this person used to be one of our friends in BN,” he said.
Hajiji also called on the relevant departments to take a more aggressive approach in the collection of outstanding revenues.
“We are trying our best to collect as many outstanding revenue as we can. The problem is, most of these revenue payers are late in making in their payments.
“We have tried many methods, such as giving incentives. However, we still could not manage to collect all of the outstanding revenues,” he said.
“This is why we are calling on the city councils and district councils to be more aggressive in collecting these outstanding taxes,” Hajiji added.
He said these collections are very important as the money can be used to fund the ministry’s operations.
It is understood that the local governments (PBTs) in Penampang, Tawau and Sandakan have collected almost 90 percent of its revenues, while those in other parts of the state have only managed to collect about 60 to 80 percent.
Hajiji remarked that he is not satisfied with the progress yet as he wants all of the revenues to be collected.
When asked whether any stern action will be taken against these stubborn payers, Hajiji disclosed that such action may be considered, and added that the social media may also play a role in creating awareness regarding revenue collection.
Earlier in his speech, Hajiji stressed that the PBTs in the state should increase its current revenue collection to 100 percent and to increase the outstanding revenue collection to 60 percent.
Based on the recent state budget, Hajiji’s ministry was given an allocation of RM84.15 million for its supply fund and RM25.5 million for its development fund, indicating that the ministry plays a vital role in improving the lives of the people of Sabah.
“Thus, high-impact development plans, prompt implementations and value for money are some of the things that should be taken into account by all department heads, agencies and PBTs when carrying out projects,” Hajiji said in his speech, while asserting that target groups should enjoy optimum impact for every project and initiative that had been implemented.