NABAWAN: Prime Minister Dato Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak said that the rights of the Sabah people are guaranteed by the constitution.
“We do not want to take Sabah rights, we want to bring Sabah forward, I do not want to take Sabahan rights, I want Sabahans and their rights to be guaranteed in accordance with the constitution,” he said in his speech at the Meet-the-people session here yesterday.
According to him, in the unity of the people in Malaysia, Sabah still needs support from the Peninsula.
Earlier, Najib also officially opened the Nabawan Health Clinic building upon his arrival in to this district.
He also reminded the people not to take for granted the peace and independence enjoyed today.
He said this was like the peace in the past when the country faced the threat of communism and when the people wanted independence only then did they know the value of independence and peace.
“But if the country is peaceful and harmonious all the time, sometimes we forget and take for granted. Sometimes we feel that it’s not hard for us to change the government, it is not a problem but once we make mistakes, the country and the state can be destroyed,” he said.
He said that if the country had a situation where the people were in conflict with each other or did not have political stability, the country would not progress.
According to him, the people in rural areas want development.
Najib said the people must look forward not only today but for the next 30 years where the government has planned the National Transformation 2050 (TN50) for the younger generation today.
“We are making all the development and National Transformation today for the people. We built the Pan Borneo Highway which costs billions of ringgit for the people.
“The Pan Borneo Highway will be taken to this area and this will be implemented in the later phase. We spend RM20 billion because we want to put Malaysia on the track and we have proven it,” he said.
According to him, whatever Sabah wants would be approved including the Sabah International Convenction Center (SICC) which was fulfilled and will be completed in October this year. This also contributes to Sabah’s progress.
Apart from that, he said the requested eco-tourism for Tanjung Aru development was also approved and allocated RM500 million of the facility fund so that Sabah would become well-known as a state with an advanced tourism sector. When tourism is overflowing, it will be felt by all the people of this state.
“I also see many rural old and weak schools, and this opened my heart to announce RM1 billion in the 2018 budget for us to revitalize rural schools and this will be implemented.
“Schools will make Pensiangan and Nabawan people get education in better and more comfortable schools. If we want to develop a nation we need to give knowledge and if there is knowledge, the people will be more advanced in the future.
“We do not want people in the city alone or only in Klang Valley to be developed, we want people in Pensiangan to have a good education too,” he said.
He has also approved all development requests made by Sabah’s leaders.
During the zone 4 Umno Delegates Conference zone held here last year, although he did not come to Pensiangan, he had also supplied RM8 million and today he added further provisions to show that as a government, we must practice inclusive development.
He said this means no matter where, whether in every corner of Malaysia, the BN government will defend the fate of the people and this is the government’s commitment.
“I enjoyed the culture of the community here by seeing that Sabah is unique and I try to bring the concept of 1Malaysia where Sabah is the best example of 1Malaysia because no matter what the Malays, Murut, Kadazan can all sit together, this 1Malaysia is no matter who, all peaceful and ‘Onsoi’ (good) in this state,” he said.
Najib also approved RM3 million allocation for the implementation of the Poor People’s Housing Program (PPRT) for the Pensiangan Parliament. Other infrastructure-related projects such as roads will be discussed for additional allocation.
Najib also felt happy about this day as his arrival in Nabawan was received by the warm welcome of thousands of people and this is a sign that BN can win in this area.
He said the BN government has shown its capabilities and proved it by a major change in Sabah.
Among leaders present at the event was Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Haji Aman.