Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has pledged support for a project by villagers in rural Sabah to build their own access road, after 15 years of waiting on an empty promise by the government.

"We must help!" he replied to a tweet on the matter tonight.

He also pledged to rally support from his Umno colleagues from Sabah for the road in Pitas, Kudat, which is now totally funded by the villagers.

"I'll speak to them tomorrow in cabinet," the Umno vice-president tweeted.

This was also acknowledged by Sabah Umno secretary and Housing, Local Government and Urban Well-being Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

"Ok, noted. Let's discuss this tomorrow," Abdul Rahman replied to Hishammuddin.

Other Sabahans on the cabinet include Energy, Green Technology and Water Maximus Ongkili and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Joseph Kurup.

The 3,000 villagers, mostly subsistence farmers, are digging into their meagre pockets to build a 7.5 kilometre logging road, which will serve six villages.

According to the project website , the logging road will connect the six villages – Kampung Dowokon, Kampung Mandamai, Kampung Kobon, Kampung Perupok, Kampung Maliau Pusat and Kampung Maliau Layung – to Pitas town.

The project dubbed ' Orang Kampung Mau Bikin Jalan Raya ' (Villagers want to build a road), is estimated to cost RM85,000. 

 

This is on top of the RM5,000 from the villagers' pooled savings, which they have used to maintain and hire a construction equipment like a backhoe, chainsaws and other machinery costing RM150 a day. 

The government had in 1999 promised to build a road but the project halted after only two-kilometres in 2000, without explanation.

The villagers can be contacted at pgks7@yahoo.com.my or through their campaign Facebook page.