Students from the university clad in traditional ethnic costumes.

KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) yesterday organized its second UMS De Sabah Fashion Show.

The programme was aimed at providing a platform for its students to showcase their fashion designs which included luscious bridal and evening gowns as well as the Muslimah fashion.

“This programme is aimed at imparting the knowledge of fashion to the students. We hope that through such programmes, the university can introduce and promote the local clothing designs of  ethnic Sabahans as well as the creative works of the students,” said UMS Student Affairs and Alumni deputy vice chancellor, Professor Madya Datuk Dr Kassim Md Mansur who was represented by  university deputy dean from the School of Arts, Dr Zainol Anuar.

AirAsia Foundation head Yap Mun Ching (left) handing over the RM58,000 social enterprise fund to Tonibung director Adrian Lasimbang at the launch of the Center for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technology (CREATE) in Penampang. – Photo by Sue Chong/LEAP

PENAMPANG: Efforts will be made in earnest to train Sabah indigenous youths in skills they need to run micro scale alternative energy projects with the launch yesterday of Centre for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technology (CREATE) at the Innovative Skills Training Center (ISTC) in Kg Nampasan.

Such micro energy projects are seen as a viable cheap alternative in producing electricity to large hydro-power projects that often flood vast lands and displace indigenous communities.

CREATE, which was officially launched by indigenous community-based Tobpinai Ninkokoton Koburuon Kampung (Tonibung) together with United States-based Green Empowerment, is supported by National Geographic Society under the Great Energy Challenge programme.

Its flagship technology, a micro-hydro power system, generates 24-hour electricity from running water while conserving watersheds.

Green Empowerment Programme director Gabriel Wynn said such a center was needed as many Malaysians in the rural areas still lacked access to electricity, an essential foundation for economic activities, education and public health.

Additionally, micro-hydro systems, which provide incentives for watershed conservation, should be integrated with existing traditions and community resource management strategies to improve Sabah’s ability to sustainably manage its natural resources.

Tonibung and Green Empowerment pointed out two key needs to scale up renewable energy activities in rural Malaysia, namely human resources and access to the technology itself.

“Developing these kinds of projects require individuals who possess a healthy balance of technical expertise and community organising capabilities,” said Wynn.

“The second challenge is that it is difficult to acquire efficient, high-quality turbines in Malaysia. Importing these products into the country is disproportionately more expensive than in other countries,” he said in a statement to announce the launch of CREATE.

Wynn said to address the first need, CREATE takes individuals from villages who already have strong technical skills, many of them having worked on Tonibung’s previous community-based project.

“CREATE will provide them with additional skills in renewable resource engineering. To address the second issue, staff and trainees at CREATE will assemble turbines on location,” he said, adding that  ISTC has already been used for years to train villagers on appropriate technologies.

Wynn also stressed the importance of initiatives like CREATE in enabling community self-reliance and forest conservation, citing Sabah’s own Adrian Lasimbang who took part in a green empowerment programme for micro-hydro system engineering 10 years ago.

“Armed with these skills, a strong work ethic and a background in community organising, Adrian has been one of the key individuals in developing 12 micro-hydro systems for other forest communities in Malaysia. These systems provide round the clock cleanly generated electricity to thousands of indigenous villagers, while conserving hundreds of hectares of rainforest ecosystems,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lasimbang who is currently the director of Tonibung said he looked forward to seeing youths from indigenous communities taking up skills training through CREATE so that they could in turn set up and manage micro-hydro power schemes in their respective villages.

“Our track record speaks for itself- by mobilizing the community to take development into their own hands, we are able to implement self-sustaining systems at a fraction of the conventional cost. This is the way forward in generating cost-effective, clean and reliable power for communities, especially in very remote areas,” Lasimbang said.

Yesterday’s launch also saw AirAsia Foundation handing over a RM58,000 social enterprise fund for CREATE, apart from traditional celebrations to mark Tonibung’s 20th anniversary and the celebration of  Harvest Festival.

Jainab presenting RM5,000 from Bandaraya Mosque to the Lahad Datu Warrior Fund.

KOTA KINABALU: Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Jainab Ahmad Ayid yesterday stressed that she was not picking fights with the family of the underage rape victim.

Speaking to reporters after launching the 2013 Bandaraya Mosque carnival, the minister said the aim of her ministry was to protect the young victim from being further victimized by allowing her to marry her rapist.

“I am not picking fight with her mother and father and the fight is not between us … the right thing to do is to protect the child who should not be allowed to be looked after by the alleged rapist,” she emphasized.

Jainab said many marriage failures occurred when the parties concerned married at a young age.

She said her ministry had taken note that the victim came from a poor family and that it would try to help her parents in this respect.

In her speech during the event, Jainab also urged the Syariah court and the relevant Islamic bodies to protect the rights of women and children who had been left to fend for themselves by their husband or father.

She added that she had seen many cases of unfair treatment of women who were left in the lurch by their husbands.

“This needs to be improved. Let us remember that it is our mothers who have given birth to us. Men, too, were given births by their mothers. Have you ever heard of a man giving birth? Hence, a noble status should be given to our mothers, to our wives, and to our daughters ? we must celebrate the status of women,” she said.

At the same time, Jainab also urged the mosque authorities to stop individuals who were striving to cause disunity within the mosque’s ground.

“I don’t want the mosque to become a place where the community becomes disunited. Instead, it should be a venue that promotes Islamic activities,” she said.

During the event yesterday, the Bandaraya Mosque contributed RM5,000 to the Lahad Datu Warrior Fund.

The speedboat race was one of the water sports featured during the annual Marudu Bay Carnival in Kota Marudu yesterday. The other events were boats decoration and fishing competition. The carnival was held to promote the beauty of the coastal bay and its biodiversity, mangrove swamps and marine resources, including for eco-tourism.

KOTA MARUDU: The opposition’s lie during the election campaign that the gazetting of Tun Mustapha Marine Park would involve six kilometers of non-coastal land, including in Matunggong, had failed to influence voters in the coastal areas, according to Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Maximus Ongkili.

He said the opposition had used every tactic to scare the people from voting for Barisan Nasional including cooking up ‘illogical’ facts that the proposed marine park would result in the government taking over their non-coastal land.

“Thankfully, the voters in the coastal areas were not taken in by this rubbish concocted by the opposition to confuse the people, but instead we gained increased majority votes in these areas,” he said when opening the Marudu Bay Carnival here, yesterday.

Ongkili, who is also Kota Marudu Member of Parliament, said it was important for people to always question such claims by asking for concrete facts and data, especially as there were many unverified information in  cyber space that was quickly spread as ‘facts’.

The decorated boats are one of the features of the colourful Marudu Bay Carnival, an annual activity in Kota Marudu.

He pointed out that the proposed marine park was part of the international and state efforts to conserve and develop resources at the area, which is rich in biodiversity, for the well-being of the people living there.

“These involve protection of the fisheries and banning of destructive fishing methods that will cause depletion of the marine resources.

“The claim that the gazetting of the marine park will involve taking six kilometers of the people’s land is a blatant lie and an illogical one. If this was true, we would also protest together with the people.

“And this claim clearly shows that the opposition will twist anything to gain the people’s vote by hoodwinking them,” he said.

Ongkili said conservation and development efforts for the proposed park would instead involve consultation with the people living in the area.

On the annual Marudu Bay Carnival, he said it was one of the efforts to promote the beauty of the coastal bay and its biodiversity, mangrove swamps and marine resources, including for eco-tourism. He also reminded the residents to upkeep the cleanliness of the bay.

Marudu Bay covers Kudat, Pitas and Kota Marudu districts right up to Pulau Banggi. Its valuable resources have been recognised and Marudu Bay is part of the five-country continental shelf and the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security, as well as part of the proposed 1.02 million hectares Tun Mustapha Marine Park in northern Sabah. The proposed park is also home to endangered marine animals, such as green sea turtles and dugongs.

Speaking to reporters after launching Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s (UMS) Students and Career Carnival at Palm Square Centre Point yesterday, Azizah said many working women in the country would leave their jobs after giving birth to focus on their housework.

“If we look at the trend in Malaysia, more than 60 per cent of our university students are women, but the percentage of women in the workplace is only 49 per cent.

“Looking at the odd number between women who entered universities and the percentage of working women in the country, the ministry feels that there is a need to think of an appropriate approach to attract more women to work after graduation,” she said.

Azizah added that Career Carnival was one of the programmes that the ministry had organized with local universities throughout the nation to create awareness on the importance of women to contribute in nation building through working in the various industries.

She added that  since most married women who have children prefer to raise their children without depending on helpers or nurseries, it is important for them to venture in other careers which they can do at home.

“Working from home is another thing that our married women should consider because there are many opportunities they can grab, especially with the help from information technology at  their finger tips.

“They can do marketing and auditing from home, or many other businesses which can give them more time with their family but at the same time make money from home,” she added.

Azizah said the ministry has set a target of 55 per cent of workers in the country for women by 2015, according to the 10th Malaysia Plan.

Also present at the event yesterday were UMS vice chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Mohd Harun Abdullah, Women, Family and Community Development Ministry deputy secretary-general Datuk Harjeet Singh, UMS deputy vice chancellor of student affairs and alumni associate Professor Datuk Dr Kasim Mansur, and director of NAM Institute for the Empowerment of Women (NIEW), Tan Sri Rafiah Salim.

UMS Students and Career Carnival is a two-day event, giving various career opportunities to graduates and under-graduates.

Among the companies and agencies that had set up booths in the event were Sabah Skills and Technology Centre, Kuwait Finance House, Herbalife, Sime Darby, Shin Yang Plywood (Bintulu) Sdn Bhd, SP Setia Berhad, Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad, Sabah Electricity Sdn. Bhd., Maybank Berhad, Chemical Companies of Malaysia, Angkatan Hebat and Radio Television Malaysia (RTM).

The carnival starts at 9am until 5pm.

In a joint statement yesterday, Penampang Member of Parliament Darell Leiking and Moyog assemblyman Terence Siambun described Jumat’s blistering diatribe against Abidin as uncalled for and a failure to see the growing development in the city.

They said Jumat should have directed his question to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman instead.

“In case he (Jumat) is not aware, the Kota Kinabalu City Hall is under the Chief Minister’s Department. Could it be the case that he meant the Chief Minister had been incompetent in appointing the mayor?

Jumat had among other things accused Abidin of “withholding” RM5 million meant for development projects in the constituency.

He told a gathering of farmers in Menggatal on Tuesday that several projects had been approved but the funds were not released and that he had to resort to requesting for allocation from the Prime Minister’s Department and other ministries and agencies.

Jumat, who won the Sepanggar parliamentary seat in the May 5 general election, also accused the mayor of being an agent of the opposition.

“The state government has conducted a number of programmes to raise awareness on child marriages in Sabah for the past many years, but I will talk to the ministry and other agencies to have more prevention programmes, especially in the interior such as Kota Marudu and Pensiangan, where this incidents are often happening,” she told reporters when commenting on the child marriage in Sabah between a 13-year-old girl and a 40-year-old man who allegedly raped her.

“We will also look at various factors such as the economy and also their culture as many parents in the interior prefer to let their young girls marry because they cannot afford to give them proper education,” she said.

“Getting married at a young age is also quite normal in the interior because most of the women there get married at a very young age. However, this kind of culture should be reviewed to avoid any problem to the women in the future,” she said.

Azizah said most parents are aware that education is important for their children regardless of their gender but such incident is still happening because of their culture of getting married at a young age.

She admitted that the ministry would have problems in conducting their programmes if the people in the interior are still holding tight to their culture, but she is optimistic that any programmes which are good to the community will be accepted even though it will take more time.

“We will also look at other factors, such as the economy, where we can empower them. If we can assist these people to improve their income, I think we can see the number of child marriages decreasing.

“Since child marriages are still under control, I believe we can minimize the incidents, especially when we are approaching a developed nation status in seven years’ time,” she added.

Azizah who is also Beaufort member of parliament said even though the people in the interior might have problems accepting child marriage prevention programmes, it all would depend on how the government would approach their awareness programmes.

Masidi (left) with a pelian fish at Babagon River.

PENAMPANG: Babagon River, which flows through Kampung Babagon here, can be a tourism attraction for the district, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.

Masidi, when met at a gathering with members of the social media at Kampung Babagon yesterday, pointed out that Babagon River is one of the most beautiful rivers in the state.

“It has its own special attraction and this location can be promoted to tourists from all over the world,” he said.

According to Masidi, he was made to understand that Kampung Babagon, which practises the “tagal” system, is already a popular destination among foreign tourists but is relatively unknown among domestic visitors.

The tagal system is a community-based fisheries resource management system practised by  many riparian communities in Sabah. It is a stakeholder-driven system of rehabilitation, protection and conservation of the river environments and the fisheries resources for its sustainable development.

At the moment, the number of tagal areas established in Sabah has multiplied to more than 200 involving 107 rivers in 11 districts.

Protection of the tagal system rivers’ environment and its enforcement are in the hands of the elected Tagal Committees. At present, the enforcement of the prohibitions is through the imposition of native customary laws that are backed by the Native Court.

Masidi also expressed hope that domestic tourists will choose Kampung Babagon as a location for recreational activities in the future.

He added that netizens on social media websites, such as Twitter, have a very wide influence in the promotion of tourism products.

The recreational area in Kampung Babagon is located just by the river side and is equipped with a mini hall, toilets and food stalls.

Anglers can also try their hand at fishing for “pelian”, but only on a catch and release basis for a fee.

Describing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as power crazy and unable to accept defeat, he said the opposition leader should not question the outcome of the GE13 and the legitimacy of the federal government of the day.

“A win is a win, and we practise democracy. He (Anwar) should not use the young to pursue his personal interest to become prime minister. Instead, he should educate them on the underlining principles of a democratic election where losers must be able to accept winners.

“We should move forward. We will fight again in the next (general) election. I think the people are fed-up with his (Anwar’s) political ways (maneuvering).

“In fact, BN lost in Kadamaian (a state seat in Kota Belud), and we respect the decision and will not victimise voters…instead, we will work hard to win them over again,” he said.

Salleh said this in his speech at a thanksgiving event to mark BN’s convincing victory at the Kota Belud Community Hall here yesterday.

Also present was Urban Well-being, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, who is also Kota Belud member of parliament.

Salleh, who is also Sabah Umno liaison deputy chief and Usukan state assemblyman, stressed the current BN government was a “majority government” and not minority government.

“We are adopting democracy based on party system. Minority government means no party won more than half of the total seats contested. In the recent election, BN clearly won more than that,” he said.

On talk of opening up the ruling BN to direct membership, the state legislative assembly speaker, in concurrence, said the direct membership drive should be intensified with a new approach to win the hearts and minds of the young ones and urban voters.

Meanwhile, Salleh, who is also Umno Kota Belud chief, thanked the voters for giving BN the mandate to govern Sabah and the country.  – Bernama

He suggested that the proposed department should engage the community at large to seek their views and thoughts on how to prevent crime and address the key concerns of the community.

“In this regard, I hope that the IGP would agree to set up a Crime Prevention Consultative Committee, made up of the MCPF, relevant bodies, accademicians and others who can contribute ideas on crime prevention, to assist the police to find better ways to prevent crime,” he said in a statement yesterday.

This, he said, is in line with the belief that community-police engagement is very essential to combat crime and the government knows the best approach is over.

The MCPF is of the view that the ideas from the consultative committee will help the Police Crime Prevention Department to formulate strategies and implement more effective crime prevention approaches in the future.

Lee also supported action to be taken against those who have misused their social visit visas and ended up causing serious social problems in the country.

“It has been brought to my attention of several cases of foreigners who misuse their social visit visas, particularly student visas, and get themselves involved in drugs.

“There have been a number of reported cases of foreign students from the African continent who are involved in drugs,” he said.

He said drugs is a serious social problem and the relevant authority should act against those involved.

There are others who apply for student visas under the pretext of coming to Malaysia to study language but ending up working as guest relations officers (GROs) in entertainment centres.

Such misuse of social visit or student visas must be seriously looked into and action taken to cancel the visas of those involved, he said.

Lee also said our education centres must do their part to check the activities of their students and ensure that such abuse of visas will not be tolerated.

“The MCPF wishes to suggest that the Immigration Department must be more stringent in issuing social visit visas to foreigners who enter our country.

“It needs to be stressed here that while we wish to welcome more foreigners and tourists into our country, we also need to ensure that these foreigners will not create more social problems for Malaysia,” he added.

Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun

KOTA KINABALU: There is a need for child marriage prevention programme in Sabah even though such incidents are still under control in the state.

Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun said this to reporters when commenting on the recent highlight in the media on a child marriage in Sabah, where a 13-year-old was offered to marry a 40-year-old man who had allegedly raped her.

“The state government has conducted a number of programmes to raise awareness of child marriages in Sabah for the past many years, but I will talk to the ministry and  other agencies to have more prevention programmes, especially in the interior such as Kota Marudu and Pensiangan, where these incidents are often happening.

“We will also look at various factors such as the economy and also their culture as many of the parents in the interior prefer to let their young girl marry because they cannot afford to give them proper education.

“Getting married at a young age is also quite normal in the interior. However, this kind of culture should be reviewed to avoid any problem to the women in the future,” she said.

Azizah added that most parents were aware that education was important for their children regardless of their gender but such incident was still happening because of their culture of getting married at a young age.

She admitted that the ministry would have problems in conducting their programmes if the people in the interior are still holding tight onto their culture, but she is optimistic that any programmes which is good to the community will be accepted even though it will take more time.

“We will also look at other factors, such as the economy, where we can empower them. If we can assist these people to improve their income, I think we can see the number of child marriages decreasing.

“Since child marriages are still under control, I believe we can minimise the incidents, especially when we are approaching a developed nation status in seven years’ time,” she added.

Azizah who is also Beaufort Member of Parliament said even though the people in the interior might have problems accepting child marriage prevention programmes, it would all  depend on how the government would approach their awareness programmes.

OVER TO YOU: Jainab presenting a mock cheque for RM5,000 to the Lahad Datu Warrior Fund.

KOTA KINABALU: Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Jainab Ahmad Ayid yesterday stressed that she was not picking fights with the family of the underage rape victim.

Speaking to reporters after launching the 2013 Bandaraya Mosque carnival, the minister said the aim of her ministry was to protect the young victim from being further victimised by allowing her to marry her rapist.

“I am not picking fights with her mother and father and the fight is not between us … the right thing to do is to protect the child who should not be allowed to be looked after by her rapist,” she strongly emphasised.

She alleged that many failed marriages occurred when the parties concerned married at a young age.

She added that her ministry had taken note that the victim came from a poor family and that it would try to help her parents in this respect.

In her speech during the event, Jainab also urged the Syariah court and the relevant Islamic bodies to protect the rights of women and children who had been left to fend for themselves by their husband / father.

She added that she had seen many unfair treatment on women who had been left by their husbands.

“This needs to be improved. Let us remember that it is our mothers who have given birth to us. Men, too, were given births by their mothers. Have you ever heard of a man giving birth? Hence, a noble status should be given to our mothers, to our wives, and to our daughters.We must celebrate the status of women,” she said.

At the same time, Jainab also urged the mosque authorities to stop individuals who were striving to cause disunity within the mosque’s ground.

“I don’t want the mosque to become a place where the community becomes disunited. Instead, it should be a venue that promotes Islamic activities,” she said.

During the event yesterday, the Bandaraya mosque also presented a cheque of RM5,000 to the Lahad Datu Warrior Fund.

According to district traffic committee chairman Basrih Haji Osman, the plan to build a roundabout at the main road has long been delayed due to the failure of TM to relocate its poles.

This issue was raised during a meeting.

“The roundabout was scheduled for completion by December last year but it has been delayed for almost six months now,” he said.

Traffic congestion and accidents have also happened frequently around the construction site, he claimed.

Therefore, Basrih hoped TM will relocate the poles immediately.

The programme was aimed at providing a platform for its students to showcase their fashion designs which included luscious bridal and evening gowns as well as the Muslimah fashion.

“This programme is aimed at imparting the knowledge of fashion to the students. We hope that through such programmes, the university can introduce and promote the local clothing designs of  ethnic Sabahans as well as the creative works of the students,” said UMS Student Affairs and Alumni deputy vice chancellor, Professor Madya Datuk Dr Kassim Md Mansur who was represented by  university deputy dean from the School of Arts, Dr Zainol Anuar.

In this regard, she expressed gratitude that in Malaysia, particularly in the state of Sabah, there was still peace despite having gone through numerous obstacles in preserving universal peace.

The culture of mutual respect which had been practised for a long time had helped to resolve whatever problems that had cropped up, she told reporters after opening the ‘Wacana Minda’ carnival at the Masjid Bandaraya Likas, here today.

She said the carnival could contribute significantly in uniting the ummah through various activities organised as a public attraction.

“This programme is the first step towards turning the mosque as a centre for the growth of Islam in Sabah,” she said.

Jainab said her ministry would emphasise on issues concerning the family and community especially those relating to the prices of goods and childcare for working parents.

At the function, Masjid Bandaraya gave a contribution of RM5,000 to the Lahad Datu Warriors’ Fund. — Bernama

The damaged Proton Iswara car.

KOTA KINABALU: A 41-year-old man succumbed to his injuries after a Proton Iswara car that he and his friend were travelling in crashed into a van along Jalan Tuaran, near the Putrajaya traffic lights in Telipok here yesterday morning.

Edwin Luis from Kampung Kiawayan, Tambunan was taken to the Tuaran hospital after sustaining serious injuries in the 1.30am accident but passed away in the Intensive Care Unit about two hours later.

Both vehicles were believed to be heading to Tuaran from the city centre when the van, which was carrying seven people, made a left turn into the Taman Putrajaya junction.

It was also reported that the driver of the Proton Iswara immediately fled the scene after the crash, leaving the car behind at the scene.

The seven people in the van, including the driver, aged from 14 to 52, sustained only minor injuries.

The police are looking for the driver of the Proton Iswara car and urged eyewitnesses to assist in their investigation of the case under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

In Labuan, a 28-year-old woman was killed on the spot when her Modenas Kriss motorcycle was rammed from the back by a Toyota Vios car driven by a 26-year-old man around 10.25pm on Thursday at Jalan Kinabenua.

Labuan police chief Superintendent Adzhar Othman said yesterday that the victim was identified as Salmah Kadir and had worked as a security guard. She was reportedly on her way home when the accident occurred.

“She was pronounced dead on the spot after sustaining serious head injuries that resulted in severe brain haemorrhage. The driver of the car involved in the accident is now being investigated under Section 44 (1) (b) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

“He was found driving under the influence of alcohol after readings showed that the alcohol content in his blood was at 148mg/100ml. If found guilty in court, he can be jailed up to 10 years and fined not less than RM10,000,” he said.

Adzhar advised vehicle owners here not to drive when under the influence of alcohol to avoid accidents.

The victim’s body had been sent to the hospital for a post-mortem.

The badly damaged Perodua Myvi car.

Fung who died an hour later at the hospital

KOTA KINABALU: A 22-year-old man succumbed to injuries at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) about an hour after being involved in a hit-and-run road accident along Jalan Kepayan, near the Tanjung Aru train terminal, yesterday morning.

Fung Ching Wei from Kampung Muhibbah, Jalan Kuhara, Tawau, was pronounced dead at 1.50am at the QEH II, just an hour after the Perodua Myvi car that he and another passenger were travelling in, was knocked from behind by a vehicle at 12.50am.

It was believed that the victim and the passenger, also aged 22, were on their way to Putatan from the state capital when another vehicle knocked into the rear of the Perodua Myvi car. This caused the victim to lose control of the Myvi car which then skidded off the road and overturned a couple of times.

The vehicle that knocked into the Perodua Myvi car immediately fled the scene.

Fung was initially trapped in the driver’s seat and it took a couple of minutes for the Fire and Rescue Services personnel to extricate him. He was then immediately taken to hospital for treatment but succumbed to his injuries an hour later.

The passenger of the car only suffered minor injuries and is currently being treated at the same hospital.

City police chief ACP Jauteh Dikun said the police were still carrying out investigation on the incident and tracking down the vehicle that fled the scene.

He urged eyewitness to come forward to assist police in their investigation of the case under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

Fire and Rescue personnel putting out the fire that destroyed seven wooden houses at a squatter area in Kampung Kepayan.

KOTA KINABALU: Seven families were made homeless when fire destroyed their wooden houses at a squatter area in Kampung Kepayan near here on Thursday.

The fire was believed to have started from one of the seven affected houses around 8pm.

Fire and Rescue Services Department public relations officer Senior Assistant Superintendent Mohd Affendy Ramin said the department received a distress call at 8.37pm and deployed 25 personnel in three fire engines to the scene.

He said the fire was put under control by around 9.05pm and the whole operation ended at 10.21pm.

No casualty was reported while the cause of the fire and the total loss are still under investigation, he said.

“This is totally untrue,” said its director, Datuk Ismail Abdullah.

“Hiew should check his facts and figures carefully before making such statement. Such unfounded allegation is misleading, and can be construed as being ill intentioned and meant to create a negative perception in people’s mind that the State and Federal Governments are not serious about developing Sabah,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Hiew, in a twist to Sepanggar member of parliament Datuk Jumat Idris’ public criticism of Mayor Datuk Abidin Mandingkir Mayor over his handling of development funds, said that out of RM16.9 billion of development allocations approved under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, RM10.09 billion remained unspent. He also alleged that only 2,056 out of 3,690 development projects were completed.

Wishing to set the record straight, Ismail said the total development allocation approved for Sabah by the federal government during the Ninth Malaysia Plan was in fact RM19.8 billion. This amount was for a total of 3,193 projects.

Out of the total amount approved, 89 per cent or RM17.69 billion was spent by the end of the Ninth Malaysia Plan period.

Meanwhile, out of the total projects approved, 2,511 projects (or 78.64 per cent) were successfully implemented and completed, 678 projects were still in progress by the end of the plan period and carried over to the 10th Malaysia Plan, and nearly all had already been completed by now. Only four projects had not been implemented by the end of 2010 and was still at planning stage.

The director pointed out 89 per cent is an excellent achievement, and high by any standard because project planning and implementation had a very dynamic environment, and in a lot of cases, fraught with unforeseen implementation issues.

For the first three years of the 10th Malaysia Plan, he said Sabah was allocated RM13.54 billion and 68 per cent had been spent so far.

The State Government and Chief Minister as chairman of the State Action Council monitored the implementation progress of all development projects in the State very closely to ensure timely completion of projects and programs. In fact, the Chief Minister is constantly reminding heads of state and federal departments in Sabah to be fast and diligent in implementing development projects, he said.

“Datuk Musa Haji Aman is a real task master. He simply has a very low tolerance for any inefficiency and complacency, especially when it comes to the implementation of development projects for the rakyat,” said Ismail.

At the same time, the federal government is constantly fine-tuning coordination and implementation process and procedures to ensure smoother implementation of projects.

“This matter has been discussed and agreed since I was an MP in 2004 but unfortunately was never implemented,” he told The Borneo Post here yesterday.

Maraat, a supreme council member of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), said the lack of transparency in the delivery of financial allocations from the federal government had caused many development projects to be stalled because the implementing agencies were not made aware. At the same time, he said this had caused the non-implementation of many approved government projects, especially roads, water and electricity supply in rural areas.

“This is the major complaint of the people here as their request is ignored even though it is already approved by the government. What is most depressing is that the projects have been approved but financial allocations are not there,” he said.

He said most of the financial allocations provided by the federal government, especially at the ministerial level, were not passed on to the department in charge of coordinating development projects in the state.

“In Sabah, we have a Federal Development Office (FDO). Why are the financial allocations from the federal government, including the federal ministries, not channeled to the FDO rather than to the other agencies?

“We have to be aware that we only have about seven years to achieve developed nation status. But when we return to the rural areas, many people still live below the poverty line with very little development. We cannot hope to achieve a developed country status by 2020 if many rural areas are still underdeveloped, still using muddy logging roads, still having no electricity and the residents have to be dependent on river and rain water,” he said.

Maraat said it is better for the Federal government to channel the financial allocations to the FDO’s office to make it easier to coordinate all the development projects implemented in the rural areas in this state. He also suggested that the government balance its development between urban and rural areas in order to achieve its National Key Result Area (NKRA).

“I believe with a balanced development, especially in terms of education and socio-economy, the people will get equal opportunities and no one gets marginalized in the transformation as espoused by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak,” he said.

On school buildings, Maraat suggested that the government provide more modern school buildings equipped with science and computer laboratories, and library for rural students and provide more rural hostels equipped with basic facilities for them to live and study in comfort.

“I am confident that with such conducive facilities, many of our children living in rural areas would be keen to learn and excel in their studies,” he said.