Prime Minister Mohd Najib Abdul Razak has left Sabah with the sound of his own pledges ringing in his ears - that he will make good the unkept promises of his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

najib razak acccim 170409 pc “Let us make mutual decisions for the sake of the future of our country and our party, to find the best way (forward) and refer to party traditions in Umno and the BN,” he said at one meet-the-people session with Barisan Nasional (BN) members in Kota Kinabalu.

The issue of undocumented immigrants features high on the list of priorities in Sabah, along with adequate representation in the federal civil service and government-linked companies, and the state’s political autonomy under the Malaysia Agreement. Addressing poverty and development is of equal importance.

More immediately, Najib announced the federal government’s decision to buy the privately-run Sabah Medical Centre (SMC) for RM245 million as an emergency measure.

“Ongoing developments at the present site of the Queen Elizabeth General Hospital (QEH) will continue. Buying the private hospital building is necessary since constructing a new hospital would take more time,” he said.

However, the purchase does not include the costs involved in turning the SMC premises from a five-star private hospital into the open ward system of a public hospital. The final bill is expected to top RM500 million when the process is completed within 18 months.

queen elizabeth hospital kota kinabalu 251008 Kota Kinabalu has been without a public hospital since the Tower Block of QEH was declared unsafe by the Ministry of Health last October and decanted. This has been a source of growing political tension as patients had to be even flown to Kuching, Kuala Lumpur and Penang for treatment.

Another half a billion ringgit will be released to the Sabah Development Office which oversees federal development programmes in Sabah.

“I will fulfill Pak Lah’s commitment. The balance of the RM500 million will be given,” reiterated Najib to thunderous applause during a luncheon for government leaders towards the end of his two-day visit.

‘Beware new deadline’

Najib also held out the prospect of the aborted Goddess of the Sea (Mazu) statue case being settled out of court. This was seen as another of Abdullah’s failures.

chong kah kiat and sabah The case, which has pitted former Sabah Chief Minister Chong Kah Kiat (left) against his successor and incumbent Musa Aman, is pending in the Kota Kinabalu High Court. It has been moved to the Court of Appeal for declarations on points of law.

Najib was quick to remind his listeners that Sabah - which has 24 members of parliament - now had four full ministers with important portfolios in the federal cabinet and five deputy ministers.

He also warned the people about the new Aug 31 deadline set by the opposition Pakatan Rakyat to seize the reins of power in Putrajaya.

“The opposition dreamt of setting up a new government by Sept 16 last year but nothing happened. For how long are the people of Malaysia going to be cheated by the opposition leaders who have nothing better to do than slander and play politics?”

sarawak Najib is expected to visit neighbouring Sarawak soon to promote his ‘walkabout’ method of leadership and the 1Malaysia concept as he did in Sabah.

Sarawak is another front-line state - holding 31 seats in Parliament - against the increasing influence of the opposition.

Its problems have been compounded by growing restlessness among the majority Dayaks in particular over the status of their native customary rights to land.

There is also grinding poverty despite many decades of implementation of the New Economic Policy since 1970. The Dayaks joke that the NEP for them has meant ‘Never Ending Poverty’.