The State Reform Party (Star Sabah) has to resort to the use of photographs not only to prove, but also to highlight the ‘pathetic’ state of development in Sabah, and holds Sabah Umno responsible for the conditions that Sabah is now in.

Its chief Jeffrey Kitingan said that Sabah Umno BN leaders should wake up and do their homework and stop fooling themselves and Sabahans.

“Then they should decide whether they should demand, repeat demand, for full or partial autonomy with regard to federal development funds for Sabah” said Kitingan, noting there were  similar pathetic urgings for partial autonomy on federal development funds instead of demanding for full autonomy.

He said since Umno took over Sabah in 1994 it promised a ‘Sabah Baru’ within 100 days and come every election since then, there has been continuous lies after lies and deception that only the Barisan Nasional could bring about development for their constituencies, especially in the rural areas.

“But the sad truth is that the statement that only Umno/BN can bring about development is a blatant lie,” Kitingan said in a statement.

Pointing out that a picture paints a thousand words, the Bingkor State assemblyperson asked Sabah Umno BN leaders to look at photographs which had come to his attention.

He said Sabah had the fortunate legacy to inherit Sabah Railways from the British colonial masters and for several of the 13 villages between Beaufort and Tenom, it is the only means of transport as until today there is no road link.  

These villages, he said, appear to be the ‘Lost Valley of Tenom/Beaufort’ to the BN government who have forgotten they exist, and with Sabah Railways now under Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad, things appear to heading nowhere.  

“When will the BN government be building the road link? In comparison, rural roads, even in Felda settlements in the remotest part of Malaya, are sealed right up to the staircase of the settlers’ homes,” he said.

What is the use of the BN manifesto promising to build a million affordable houses in five years when the government cannot even provide a PPRT house for this family in Sabah?” Jeffrey asked.

Incidentally, Kota Marudu is the home constituency of the federal water resources minister, but seems powerless as the financial purse strings are controlled by the Malayan federal government, said Jeffrey.

‘Untreated water the norm in Sabah’

He said that untreated water is the norm in Sabah where many villages still rely on gravity-fed water from the hills as drinking water. In comparison, the federal government is spending RM3.94 billion to build a 43km-long water transfer tunnel from Pahang through the Titiwangsa Main Range to Selangor/Klang Valley, but chooses to lend RM257 million to the Sabah government instead of giving a grant to build the Keningau Water Supply Project.  

When will 99 percent (not even asking for 100 percent) of Sabahans be getting clean treated water, he asked.

Said Jeffrey, “In case the Sabah Umno BN leaders have forgotten, the deputy prime minister-cum- education minister had promised verbally in February 2014 that RM1.0 billion had been allocated to rebuild and repair 600-odd schools in Sabah and Sarawak.  

“Where is the money?” he asked.

And why were Sabah students, he said, made to suffer from the failure of the federal government and the Sabah Umno BN leaders in failing to look after their welfare and interests, he said, pointing out that  one could now understand why Sabah fared last in the recently released SPM results.

Said Jeffrey: “With these photographs, the Sabah Umno BN leaders should be ashamed of themselves and should apologise to Sabahans for their failure to look after their interests and welfare.

“Instead of seeking full autonomy and getting the funds for proper development, Sabah Umno BN leaders are only asking, not even demanding, for partial autonomy in development funds.

“Perhaps and hopefully, this news report will make the prime minister send a tweet to his chief secretary to look into the affairs of Sabah’s failure of development in education, road infrastructure, people’s housing and water supply,” he said rather cynically.