LABUAN: Member of parliament for Labuan, Datuk Yussof Mahal, yesterday said local people have been given the chance to head government agencies on the island.
He was commenting on a statement by Labuan PKR chief Simsudin Sidek who claimed on February 6 that locals were not given any opportunity to head government agencies here.
There were some efforts by Barisan Nasional (BN) on this island including providing jobs for the people here, said Yussof who is also Labuan BN chairman.
“The opposition leader claimed that if they win in the next general election, they will give priority to the locals to head agencies here.
“What he pointed out actually had been done by us. For example, the deputy chief executive officer of Labuan Corporation (LC) is a local.
“Before this, even the third highest rank in LC was not held by local but outsiders. Besides that, some senior posts in several agencies are also headed by locals,” said Yussof who is also LC chairman.
Meanwhile, Yussof said that some of the vacant senior posts in Asian Supply Base (ASB) Sdn Bhd here are now being held by the locals.
“In the past, most of the senior positions in ASB were held by outsiders from Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia, but it is different today. The same goes for other oil and gas companies such as Halliburton and Petronas Methanol.
“Many of our local people are also being appointed to senior positions throughout this country, especially in oil and gas sector based on their qualifications.
“What the PKR chief had said was actually being realised already,” said Yussof.
In reply to former Labuan member of parliament Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman’s statement on February 7 that the people’s confidence towards the Pakatan Rakyat here was getting stronger and a threat to the BN here, Yussof said the BN leadership here had nothing to worry about.
“The BN leadership here is always approaching the people and doing some developments for them,” said Yussof.
On the next BN candidate in the coming general election, Yussof said he left the matter to the central BN leadership to decide who should contest here.
Commenting on the latest development of Labuan Hotel, he said LC is now offering to interested parties to submit their proposal to LC before Feb 20.
“LC had opened the application on Feb 8 and LC wants to find the party which is able to reconstruct the building,” he said, adding that LC wants the green technology to be applied during the demolition of the building later.