Sabahan workers are not lazy

The reason why salaries are so low is because ALL MONEY are siphoned
out of Sabah despite our huge tourism, forestly, palm oil, petroleum
and gas resources. I claimed all, because what was sent back are just
scraps that do not even cover costs, and most are never realised, only
promises of scrap handouts.

Imagine spending RM2 million per year for HARDCORE poverty
eradication. Recently relabelled "poverty eradication".

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=75908

How our tourism sector is losing

Published on: Sunday, November 21, 2010

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Kota Kinabalu: Sabah is losing many of her best tourism workers to
better paying bosses in the peninsula and Singapore.

While pointing out that more such workers needed to be churned out by
the State to make up for these losses, State Tourism, Culture and
Environment Minister, Datuk Masidi Manjun also underlined the
importance of a system to ensure the workers stay in Sabah.

"We need to up the quality of our human resources in the service
industry.

The problem is that in the tourism industry, our staff are always on
the move because they are constantly being pinched by others.

"(For instance), our hotel employees are constantly being pinched by
West Malaysian hotels and Singaporeans - Singaporeans love Sabahans
because they say they're the best employees.

"We have a tough time retaining them in Sabah. I have said many times
that the hotel owners (in the State) need to re-look their
renumeration package, with a view to improve it because that's the
only way we can retain them," he said.

Speaking to reporters after launching an electronic advertising firm,
Bliss Media and Advertising, here, Saturday, Masidi said "headhunters"
of potential overseas employers were always on the lookout for
hardworking Sabahans.

"The turnover is quite high (although) I can't give the figures but
headhunters are always on the look for Sabahans.

"For instance, the Traders Hotel in Kuala LumpurÉ(about) 60 per cent
of the employees are Sabahans É when they pay twice or more than the
amount of money we are paying here, than obviously they prefer to go
there, you can't stop them."

Asked if this could affect Sabah's aim of ushering 2.5 million tourist
arrivals next year, the Minister said the State could still cope,
barring any world disaster.

"We have to do with what we have. At this point of time, short of
world catastrophe like the H1N1 or bird flu (among others), I believe
we can touch that figure."

In the State 2011 Budget tabled by Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Musa
Aman on Friday, the State Government will allocate RM116.27 million to
meet the tourist arrival target by further strengthening Sabah as a
main tourist destination.

On the new high quality tourism products also mentioned by Musa in the
State Budget, he pointed out that Sabah was geared towards sustainable
tourism.

"I think the products he was talking about was that we have some of
the most fantastic tropical forests in the world and what he is saying
is we should utilise it.

"That's why he allocated some money to the Forestry Department to
collaborate with us to make full use of nature's best as tourism
products."

A sum of RM9.53 million was allocated to the Forestry Department to
implement programmes related to tourism activities such as promotion
and rehabilitation of forests.

Asked if he was happy about the allocations to his Ministry, Masidi
said: "It's not an issue of being unhappy É I think no Minister is
going to be happy with whatever they are given but it's a question of
getting full value of every Ringgit that you spend.

"We are accountable, not only to the people, but also the fact that we
need to spend the money consistent with the Government's strict
accounting procedures."