BINTULU: In Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang’s book, the DAP is “an enemy of the people in the rural areas of Sarawak”.
WARM WELCOME: Jabu, Dr Rundi (left) and other guests receive warm handshakes from the residents of Rumah Limin.
He said he viewed the party as such because they often questioned the sincerity of the government in trying to improve the socio-economic status of the people through various types of programmes, such as the development of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land into oil palm plantations.
“DAP does not want to see people in the rural areas participate in joint ventures to develop their NCR land. They want the people to remain laid back,” he said during a gathering in Rumah Limin Anai in Sungai Sebungan, Sebauh, on Sunday.
Also present were Assistant Minister of Public Health and Utilities Dr Stephen Rundi Utom, Bintulu District Officer Tuah Suni, Bintulu Pemanca Utong Sigan and longhouse chief Limin Anai.
Jabu told those present that the opposition purposely distorted the development of NCR land just for political mileage.
“The fact is that with the development of the NCR land, rural folks now enjoy monthly income of thousands of ringgit from oil palm yield,” he pointed out.
In addition to that, the development of NCR land had also brought in infrastructure development, such as the building of roads.
“DAP is only good at criticising and twisting facts. They are claiming that they are superior to the Barisan Nasional (BN),” he said.
Jabu, who is also Minister of Modernisation and Agriculture, said one only had to look at Penang to see what the opposition is worth. Penang, which is under the leadership of DAP’s secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, had not been able to match the capacity of the Sarawak state government in many areas.
“Budget 2011 provides Penang with only RM900 million. Sarawak, on the other hand, will spend RM3.6 billion on development next year.
“So, how can they (DAP) say they are better than the BN?” he asked.
Jabu also mentioned that some time ago, the DAP was all for the return of the former secretary-general of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) Chin Peng to Malaysia. Their stance, he said, showed that the DAP endorsed violence.
Many in the security forces lost their lives fighting the communists, including Ibans who were serving under the now defunct Sarawak Rangers. Their (Ibans) remains were eventually buried in the peninsula.
“Is this the kind of leadership we want in Sarawak?” he asked.
The function, among others, saw Jabu presenting incentives amounting to RM662,515 to 789 landowners who were involved in an oil palm joint-venture project with DDE Plantation Sdn Bhd. The plantation spans 4,416 hectares.