OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED: Najib places his hand on the plaque to symbolically launch the Sabah Handicrafts Centre in Keningau, while Rosmah and Musa (right) look on.
KENINGAU: Water woes may be a problem of the past with the proposed construction of five reservoirs here, soon.
Describing it as a ‘gift to the people’, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak added that it also showed that the government is concerned with the wellbeing of the people.
“Every time I come (to Keningau), these two leaders Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and his deputy Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan would talk about the same problem affecting the people — the water woes. And after awhile, I thought they would tell me about other things, but the problem remains and they hope it can be overcome soon.
“So, today (yesterday) I come not empty handed. I have decided to give a RM235 million soft loan to Sabah for the construction of a new water treatment in the district that would benefit over 200,000 people,” he told thousands who thronged the newly launched Sabah Handicraft Centre, here.
The project, consisting five reservoirs, is expected to be completed within 35 months. Tender will be called soon.
Meanwhile, Najib said the setting up of the handicraft centre was a reflection of the government’s commitment as well as the existing close cooperation between the state and federal governments.
The state, through Yayasan Sabah, constructed the building, while the federal government provided the various equipment and manpower training, costing some RM20 million.
Najib said with such commitment, he was confident that Sabah would continue to be a ‘fixed deposit’ for Barisan Nasional.
The RM30 million building, consisting of a two-storey building, will provide a one-stop centre for training and marketing of handicraft products as well as to develop and nurture entrepreneurship skills among the locals thereby enhancing their quality of life.
Its ground floor is dedicated to exhibition and retail of handicraft products, while other facilities at the ground floor are workshops for machineries, a multi-purpose hall and a cafeteria.
More rooms are being allocated for handicraft training purposes on the first floor to train local people and handicraft enthusiasts with the latest handicraft skills.
Up to May, a total of 12,590 local people had been trained by the centre in various handicraft skills.
“Sabah’s handicrafts have great potential to penetrate the international market and that is why we have huge agendas for the state. It is a nationwide transformation, both in the urban and rural areas,” he said.
Najib added that it was important to uphold the social justice to ensure a balanced development across the country and ensure the people will be able to enjoy basic facilities in the very near future.
“This is not an empty promise. It is not something that is purposely mentioned since election is just around the corner. In BN, we do not play games. We do not promise the sea or the sky, but something practical,” he said.
Also present at the event were Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman and various state leaders as well as Najib’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.