Fwd: A very complete analysis of Malaysia Agreement

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Ir. Hj. Othman bin Hj. Ahmad" <othm...@gmail.com>
Date: Dec 31, 7:29 am
Subject: A very complete analysis of Malaysia Agreement
To: soc.culture.malaysia

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/opinion/comment/14823-pa...

Pakatan's 100-day plan almost silent on Sabah, Sarawak
Fri, 31 Dec 2010 06:06
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By Joe Fernandez

COMMENT There is nothing particularly exciting for Sabah and Sarawak
in Pakatan Rakyat's 100-day reform plan, hailed as a Complete Makeover
for Malaysia, a National Recovery Plan, a Malaysia Revival Programme
or any other such platitudinous expression it cares to articulate.

The plan is supposed to swing into action from Day One of Pakatan's
capture of Putrajaya.

But except for the 20% oil royalty, any other benefit to the Borneo
states is purely incidental.

PKR, similarly, has paid lip service so far to the Tambunan
Declaration of Oct 7, 2006, under which the party pledged that it was
committed towards the autonomy of Sabah and Sarawak as per the 1963
Malaysia Agreement. Instead the party, just like Umno and Barisan
Nasional, has routinely observed the Tambunan Declaration more often
than not in the breach.

It's high time that Pakatan, and BN too, thought along the following
lines when cooking up something that is supposed to be good for the
nation: "How will this be greeted in Sabah and Sarawak?" Neither
coalition should announce anything until it has asked itself this
question. This will spare it the blushes, if not red faces all around.

It's still not too late for Pakatan to amend its reform plan to
include the Borneo Agenda. A start must be made within the 100-day
period.

Meanwhile, BN should ask itself how it can better Pakatan in Sabah and
Sarawak. It is more than apparent that it cannot be business as usual
for the ruling coalition in Malaysian Borneo. However, media pictures
of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak screaming his head off, hands
raised, does little to inspire confidence. He comes across as one
scared out of his wits and needing to put on a show of bravado.

As it stands, BN cannot better its 2008 performance in the two states.
At least 10 parliamentary seats each will fall in the two states and
this is sufficient to put Pakatan within striking distance of
Putrajaya. Sabah and Sarawak are in a mood to punish BN in Parliament
even if they get nothing out of it. It must be remembered that it was
the mood-creating effect of Hindraf's Makkal Sakthi wave that helped
take down BN more than a peg or two in 2008.

Bleak spot

In addition, up to a third of the state assembly seats in Sabah and
Sarawak will fall to the opposition. All this is assuming that the
opposition alliance can get its act together and forge a one-to-one
pact in Malaysian Borneo, as in Peninsular Malaysia, to take on BN.

Between Pakatan and BN, it's more than likely that the former will get
a better hearing in Sabah and Sarawak, notwithstanding a troubled
relationship so far, especially in Sabah. It's a fact that the bleak
spot in an otherwise bright picture is that de facto PKR chief Anwar
Ibrahim has been riding roughshod in Sabah on any number of issues.
His pronouncements on the illegal immigrants, for example, don't augur
well for the future of Pakatan in Sabah, if not in Sarawak.

Pakatan should keep on the safe side and rework its reform plan for
Malaysia, this time keeping Sabah and Sarawak in mind.

Of particular interest to the two states is why the compliance
mechanism for the Malaysia Agreement has fallen into disuse even
before it can be implemented.

The suspicion is that the Malaysia partnership ceased to exist with
the departure of Singapore from the Federation in 1965. This issue
needs to be put to rest. It appears that the definition of Federation
in the Federal Constitution is as per the 1957 Federation of Malaya
and not the 1963 Federation of Malaysia. In that case, both Sabah and
Sarawak became independent of Malaysia at the same time as Singapore
but were somehow retained illegally as the 12th and 13th states in the
resurrected Malayan Federation, now masquerading as Malaysia.

Pakatan must be bold enough to announce that it will study whether the
Malaysia Agreement still exists, and whatever the verdict, what's the
best way forward.

Anwar's oft-cited flimsy excuse in private that "the Malays in
Peninsular Malaysia will not stand for autonomy for Sabah and Sarawak"
does not hold water. He seems to be almost conceding that Sabah and
Sarawak are colonies of Malaya. Even the erstwhile Pakatanco-
coordinator, Zaid Ibrahim, who has openly confessed his ignorance,
echoed Anwar on the issue. No one is asking the Malays, or anyone else
in Peninsular Malaysia, anything about the Malaysia Agreement. They
have nothing to do with the issue. This is an issue between Sabah and
Sarawak on one side and the federal government on the other. The only
other party which can enter the picture is the UN Security Council.

Pakatan must also include the Philippines' claim to Sabah in its
reform plan. It is little known that the Sabah claim does not cover
the whole of Sabah, but only the eastern seaboard, which was
traditionally under the Sulu Sultanate, now in the Philippines
Republic, and the northern third, which was handed by the Brunei
sultanate to the Sulu sultanate.

Straightforward case

Sulu transferred its sovereignty over the northern and eastern parts
of Sabah to the Philippines. These parts were leased by Sulu to the
British North Borneo Chartered Company. The company sold the whole of
Sabah to the colonial office in London for 1.2 million pounds after
World War II as it was too broke to repair the war damage caused by
the Japanese occupation. The rest is a brief British colonial history
followed by Malaysia.

Sabah must be kept united and given the right to decide between
Malaysia, the Philippines and independence. This will bring closure to
the Sabah claim and the Malaysia Agreement.

Sarawak is a more straightforward case of non-compliance on the
Malaysia Agreement and its fate will hinge more on which way Sabah
moves. At one time, before Malaysia, Sarawak wanted a Borneo
Federation with Sabah and Brunei. Unfortunately, Sabah saw Sarawak as
a poor economic prospect and rejected the Borneo Federation. Malaysia
entered the picture, but Brunei stayed out of the new federation at
the 11th hour.

Sarawak was independent for more than 150 years before the cash-
strapped Brooke Dynasty handed the kingdom over to the colonial office
in London after World War II. As in Sabah, the government was too
broke to repair war damage. The British should have returned Sarawak
to independence and not force it into the Malaysian Federation.

The acceptance of Pakatan's 100-day reform plan in Sabah and Sarawak
will undoubtedly hinge on the inclusion of the Malaysia Agreement and
the Sabah claim and their resolution one way or another.

As the plan stands, there is little to quarrel with it apart from the
non-inclusion of the Borneo Agenda.

Fwd: More reasons why Sabah is the poorest in the world

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Ir. Hj. Othman bin Hj. Ahmad" <othm...@gmail.com>
Date: Dec 23, 7:58 pm
Subject: More reasons why Sabah is the poorest in the world
To: soc.culture.malaysia

Despite surrendering all the revenues that Sabah get to the Federal
government, there is still virtually none allocated for Sabah as shown
by the Fishery department and now Khazanah Malaysia.

This has been going on for years even now. Mara didn't spend any money
for Sabah as well as other Malaysian government bodies, presumably
they never Consider Sabah as Malaysia. These bodies include the
Ministry of Education that is supposed to be the brightest in
Malaysia.

And yet these Malaysians, complain that it is the State Govenments who
didn't do its duty.

With virtually no revenue and now operating at 50% deficit budget with
a total that hardly increased since the PBS government in 1994,(RM2
billion), nothing much should be expected from Sabah's state
government and yet all blames are put to the State government as being
incompetent, so more excuses to take away Sabah's revenue.

The latest is the gas and coal revenue. Soon it will the tourism for
Sabah when Sulu sea become so polluted with acid rain and poisonous
effluents from the coal power plant.

SAbah, that is already the poorest, will be even poorer. Sabah will be
hell on earth from what used to be Heaven on earth, as Sabah used to
be the richest in the whole world.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/politics/sabah-and-saraw...

'Why are Sabah schools not in trust project?'

By Dominic Legeh

KOTA KINABALU: A Sabah Barisan Nasional MP has asked the Education
Ministry to explain why Sabah has been left out of the 'Trust School'
pioneer project.

Ranau MP Siringan Gubat posed the question in Dewan Rakyat recently
after it was revealed that 10 schools in Johor and Sarawak had been
picked to take part in the project.

Second Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi was responding
to a question from Parit Sulong MP Noraini Ahmad on the implementation
of 'trust schools' when Siringan raised the question.

The pioneer project is part of a government plan to transform
education in the country through collaboration with private sector.

The project is being implemented through Khazanah Malaysia Berhad.

The on-going programme at the 10 schools will be used as a benchmark
for nationwide implementation in future.

Siringan queried if Sabah schools had been sidelined because they were
not qualified to take part in the pioneer project.

Mohd Puad replied that any school could be selected for the programme
including the Chinese and Tamil national-type schools.

He cited as an example a Tamil national-type school that was picked
for the project.

Sabah, he explained, had been left out because Khazanah Malaysia
Berhad was more focused in Sarawak and Johor and had decided to only
pick schools in both states.

Mohd Puad assured Siringan that Sabah schools would not be left out of
the project and that his ministry would look into the matters raised
by the Ranau MP.

The 'trust school' programme is geared towards providing quality
education in schools at every level, he said.

'Trust schools', he said, are not elitist and selection for the
programme is based on several criteria irrespective of performance and
location.

The selection he said was dependent on the approval and commitment of
the school administration, parents and the local community.

Price of giving away resources to Malaya

Oil palm does not give money to Sabah. 60% goes to the
Malaysia(Malayan) government, but they create havocs to our local
environment that local fishermen that rely on rivers and the
environment for a living cannot find ways to provide their income. No
wonder there are more and more poor people in Sabah.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/politics/sabah-and-sarawak/13233-give-us-some-light-and-water-please

'Give us light and water, please'
Wed, 24 Nove 2010 12:08
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By FMT Staff

KOTA KINABALU: Listening to Gum-Gum assemblyman Zakaria Edris' volley
of demands at the recent State Legislative Assembly sitting is telling
of the situation in Sabah. He was asking for better enforcement, clean
water, electricity, and police and fire stations in his constituency
which is barely 45 minutes from Sabah's second largest city, Sandakan.

Rolling off his list of grouses, Zakaria said villagers living along
Sungai Memanjang in his constituency were struggling to make ends meet
following a steady decline in aqua life in the river as a result of
toxic effluence from a neighbouring oil palm mill.

The once "fish-rich" river is now "dead", he said, adding that
complaints to the State Environment Protection Department and the
Federal Environment Department have fallen on deaf ears.

"We have highlighted the issues to the two departments but there had
been no action. Nothing has been done to stop the mill operators and
help the villagers.

"If the mill continues to dump its toxic waste into the river, the
ones who will suffer are the locals.

"These villagers depend on the river for their livelihood. The
government cannot go on ignoring this It must take immediate action.
It must issue a stop order to the mill, " he said.

No water, electricity

Describing clean water as a "basic necessity", he said several
kampungs in his constituency were dependent on well water.

"Many kampungs in my constituency still don't have clean water and
electricity... this is a basic necessity. The state government must
look into this urgently," he said.

Kampung Ulu Dusun, Kampung Sungai Kapoor, Kamung Jaya Bakti, Kampung
Lalason and Kampung Tanjung Pisau are among the villagers which still
depend on well water. During the dry spell, the water dries up leaving
the villagers without clean water.

Kampung Pulau Libaran and Kampung Pulau Pemaguan have no electricity.
The community is dependent on power from a generator. Since the
increase in petrol prices, villagers have been unable to afford
electricity.

Zakaria has proposed that the state government take urgent action to
provide rural villagers with water and electricity.

"I propose that solar energy be introduced in these villagers since
petrol is expensive and generators are not practical," he said.

Rising crime

Early last year, a 16-year-old student was raped, brutally murdered
and dumped in the nearby forest in the constituency.

The incident sent shockwaves through the constituency which was also
riddled with a rising crime rate, said Zakaria.

"We urgently need a police station and a fire station. We don't have
any now. The nearest stations are in Sandakan... 45 minutes away.

"This is too far in case of an accident or emergency. A few years ago
we had a big fire and the by time the firemen came, 30 houses were
burnt down," he said.

Sandakan, on Sabah's east coast, is a known gateway for immigrants.
Over the years shantytowns have emerged creatinga whole range of socio-
economic problems for the state.

In the recent Batu Sapi by-elections, the 16-year-old Barisan Nasional
state government's lack of commitment to infrastructure development
came to the fore when opposition candidate Ansari Abdullah twice
plunged into the sea after the jetty and bridge he was standing on
collapsed.

Early last week, the World Bank Report 2010 reaffirmed a commonly held
belief when it reported that Sabah was the "poorest" state in Malaysia
and is unlikely to move ahead if current policies do not change.

Federal Government clearly discriminates against Sabah

I didn't notice this until I got the World Bank report:
Imagine, Sabah, the poorest in the WORLD, the largest sea shore in
Malaysia, 10 times larger than Pahang and Trengganu combined, many
times the number of fishermen in Pahang and Trengganu, and yet
allocated only RM20 million, much less than Pahang and Trengganu.

And yet, you still belive the title of this article??????
This is not even priority, it is blatant discrimination.

From people who blatantly break international Malaysia agreement, this
is not surprising at all.

http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/bernama-malaysian-national-news-agency/mi_8082/is_20090926/lkim-priority-fishermen-sabah/ai_n51634835/

LKIM GIVES PRIORITY TO FISHERMEN IN SABAH
0 Comments | BERNAMA; Malaysian National News Agency, Sep 26, 2009

from BERNAMA, The Malaysian National News Agency PAPAR, Sept 26
(Bernama) -- Fishermen in Sabah have always been accorded priority by
the government in its bid to uplift the status of traditional
fishermen and transform them into modern fishermen.

The Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority (LKIM) chairman, Datuk
Abdul Rahim Ismail, said LKIM had allocated RM20 million for the state
this year for infrastructural development including the construction
of new jetties and upgrading the old ones.

"Sabah is one of the states that has been accorded priority after
Pahang and Terengganu. The RM20 million is the third largest
allocation given by the federal government from its total allocation
of RM87 million nationwide.
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"And that does not include annual allocation and other aid and
assistance," he told reporters at his Aidilfitri open house here
today.

Abdul Rahim, who is also Pantai Manis assemblyman, said the allocation
was expected to be fully utilised by December.

Realising that most fishermen in the state were unaware of the
programmes and assistance made available by LKIM, he said the
Agriculture and Agro- based Industry Ministry had also set aside an
allocation of RM300,000 for Sabah to promote the programmes on
billboards statewide.

"Many people are unaware that the programmes to uplift the status of
the fishermen had been implemented for almost 40 years. So, we have
set up promotional billboard in Papar and will do the same in
Bongawan, Sipitang, Kudat, Lahad Datu and Semporna," he explained.

He said LKIM would also produce video clips and multimedia
presentations to promote the programmes to the fishermen in the target
areas.

Copyright 2009 Bernama

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."

There is no planning to eradicate poverty in Sabah

How can there be planning when the BN does not admit there is any
poverty in Sabah that needs to be addressed?

All budgets and plannings assume that Sabah is not that poor, so no
money for Sabah lah!!!

We need world bodies to wake us all up. Even these world bodies are
just damn stupid. It is not projects and reduction of corruptions in
Sabah etc that will eradicate poverty, but JUST GIVE US BACK OUR
MONEY. There were rampant corruptions in SAbah in 1970s and yet Sabah
was among the richest in the world, even without any oil revenue. Now
even with oil resources, oil palm resources, timber resources, Sabah
is still the poorest. Why not if all oil and gas revenue is taken to
Malaya, oil and timber resources are taxed more than 60% by the
federal governments, and most of high paying workers are also from
Malaya.

Even this idiotic professor forgot that SArawak has less
infrastructure than Sabah and yet the World Bank didn't consider
Sarawak as poorer than Sabah. This proves one thing very clearly.
There is a massive outflow of resources out of Sabah to Malaya without
it even being brought back to Sabah. Unlike Sarawak.

The worst thing is that, the Malaysian(Malayan) government does not
even acknowledge that there is that much poverty in Sabah. Keep on
saying that Kelantan is poorer.

Those of you who believe in this BN lies, just go and visit Kelantan
with an open mind, and compare Kelantan with SAbah. Just don't assume
that all these poor places are filipinoes. Many of my inlaws stay in
these places with the immigrants and inter marrying with them.

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=75898

Sabah poverty not stated in 10MP report: Scholar

Published on: Friday, November 19, 2010

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Kudat: The Tenth Malaysia Plan or RMK-10 (2011-2015) does not indicate
that Sabah has the highest poverty rate.

UKM's Head of the International Relations Division, Centre for Public
and International Relations, Prof. Dr Junaenah Sulehan, said there was
nowehere in the RMK-10 report that said Sabah had the highest poverty
rate.

"That was in the Ninth Malaysia Plan or RMK-9 (2006-2010).

But in the RMK-10, the way they say it, it does not indicate that
Sabah has the highest poverty rate. Because how they count poverty now
is very different," she said.

Prof Dr Junaenah was speaking to Daily Express after presenting her
paper on "Women Empowerment for Sustainable Development" at the
Conference on Women of Substance, a prelude to the State-level Women's
Day celebration, recently.

The Ninth Malaysia Plan registered Sabah's poverty rate at 23pc, which
is relatively high compared with other states.

"It's not just Sabah. No, there are other poor states as well like the
state where I come from (Sarawak). You must understand how they
measure poverty.

"Poverty can be measured by two tools - one is based on income and the
other on aspects like nutrition, health, security and others. RMK-9
has its index on how they calculate the poverty rate. So, basically,
it is based on income.

"But again, you must understand that income is relative which means
people in the rural areas may not have income like what we are having
- a monthly income.

"So, whatever the rural people produce for their food is counted as
income."

From her observation, many factors contribute to Sabah's high poverty
percentage.

"To me, like Sarawak, it is attributed to geographical and distance
factors.

So, when you are very faraway, how can you channel development
programmes?" she asked.

"When I say far, I mean remote areas and some of them are pockets
(small, isolated areas).

"To reach one village and then go to another village, you have to
travel by sampan or boat. That's what I mean."

Prof Dr Junaenah added that the geographical landscape in Sabah and
Sarawak is not the same as that in Semenanjung.

"That's one. I can tell you the simplest factor for poverty.

The term we use in sociology is structural problem.

"When you say structural problem, for a lay person's understanding, it
means institution (that is, an established practice or custom).

"Here, we can say government agency, enforcement and the like.

Is there any co-ordination? Is there co-operation? What we see in this
issue is that in managing our bureaucracy, we always have this
tindaklapis (duplication).

"Yes, we have co-operation but we have no co-ordination.

The Jabatan (Department) co-operate. For example, the Pertanian bagi
funding (Agriculture giving funding), Welfare bagi (giving) funding,
ada e-Kasih (there is e-Kasih).

"But in the end, it doesn't trickle down to the grassroots.

Why? Because each is waiting for the other to act," she contended,
adding that structural problem also relates to political institution.

Sabah BN government promises even more promises to eradicate poverty

Now they use the word poverty, no more hard core poverty, but their
actions of giving zincs indicate that they are only eradicating hard
core poverty. RM2 million for the whole of sabah, also indicate that
it is meant only for hard core poverty.

Allowance of only RM 300 per month is also not poverty eradication,
only hard core poverty eradication.

Poverty is only eradicated if income is above RM1200 per month.

When salaries of BN village heads and other government servants are
still below this level, with difficulties in employing, let alone
paying workers with wages below this poverty level, do you think that
this effort is really sincere?

What the SAbah BN govenrment is more interested is to give away more
and more Sabahan resources for free, such as the gas from Sabah to be
piped for free to Bintulu and later on to Malaya, while Sabah is
forced to borrow even more money to build Coal fired plants at a cost
of 2 Billion RM, while Bakun dam that is much nearer are to be more
economically piped to Malaya at a cost of RM7 billion.

What have actually Sabah got apart from these promises? Any real
money? When even Sukau, the poorest among the poorest in the world,
cannot even get a single allocation, as stated by its BN
representative, do you think all these promises will materialise???

Even the Malaysian agreement, signed internationally had not been
realised, promises of more money for Sabah will not even be
entertained. I think you are dreaming. Yes, they will give you zincs
and water tanks worth RM2 million, after getting RM2 billion from
Sabah.

http://sabahkini.net/v1/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5492:sabah-disputes-poorest-state-tag&catid=35:berita-sabah&Itemid=27

SABAH DISPUTES 'POOREST STATE' TAG PDF Print E-mail
Written by Admin
Tuesday, 16 November 2010 13:28
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By: JOE FERNANDEZ

THE State Economic Planning Unit (EPU) in the Chief Minister's
Department in Kota Kinabalu has a different angle from the World Bank
(WB) on the incidence of poverty in the state.

In the Malaysian Economic Monitor (MEM) report released last
Wednesday, the World Bank noted that Sabah, with 10 percent of the
country's population, had 40 percent of the poor.

Disputing this in a press statement yesterday, the EPU said Sabah is
not the poorest state in Malaysia, although it did not identify the
state concerned.

Sarawak has long been considered the poorest state after Sabah,
followed by Kelantan and Terengganu.

The EPU said that "certain sections of the local media and groups with
vested interests had taken it upon themselves to sensationalise (the
incidence of poverty in Sabah) with wanton disregard for the facts and
truth".

"It's a gross misinterpretation of the MEM report. The report does
mention a significant reduction in poverty in Sabah from 1976-2004,"
said EPU director Ismail Abdullah in elaborating on the statement.

Citing WB figures in the MEM, he stressed that the incidence of
poverty in Sabah has dropped from more than 50 percent in 1976 to 24.2
percent in 2004.

"The WB has described this as an excellent achievement although there
still exist pockets of poverty in Sabah as in Sarawak and other places
in Malaysia," he said.

The incidence of poverty in Sabah, Ismail said, further fell to 16.4
percent in 2007 and this fact was captured by the Household Income
Survey (HIS) carried out by the Statistics Department. It would have
fallen further if not for the financial crisis of 2008/2009.

He blamed the rise in cost of food, fuel and transportation for
setbacks to the hardcore poverty eradication scheme.

Ismail did not differentiate between poverty and hardcore poverty but
pledged that "the state government is targeting to eliminate hardcore
poverty totally by the end of this year".

The mean monthly gross income of Sabah households, according to the
HIS, had increased from RM 2,593 in 2004 to RM 3,102 in 2009, "an
average growth of 5.3 percent which is better than many states in
Malaysia".

Ismail did not comment on the MEM report finding that "people are paid
poor salaries against the job they are doing. Those who are working
may be poor not because they are not working but working in low-paying
jobs".

"HIS indicates that the number of Sabah households enjoying an income
of between RM1,000-1,999 had increased substantially by 2009," he
said.

NKRA goals

Ismail agreed that the MEM was put together by the WB after a working
visit to Sabah in September. He also agreed that the MEM was issued
after the tacit approval and cooperation of the state government in
line with the partnership programme between the WB and the Malaysian
government.

"The partnership saw the WB providing policy analysis and advice as
well as information on member-countries' experience, which included
research and data collection," said Ismail.

Apparently, the WB team also had discussions and consultations with a
cross-section of individuals and groups, both from the private and
public sectors, academicians and NGOs.

The WB team assessed the state's poverty eradication programmes such
as projects under the Mini Estate Sejahtera and the micro credit
scheme under the Yayasan Usaha Maju.

The latter is a state government agency providing small loans to poor
and low-income groups, especially women to allow them to do small-
scale businesses and economic activities that can provide sustainable
incomes for them and their families.

Ismail said that Sabah would step up its poverty eradication efforts,
including agropolitan projects in pockets of poverty like Banggi,
Pitas, Tongod, Kota Belud, Tenom, Sook and Nabawan.

Under the National Key Results Areas (NKRA), the state government will
embark on the development of the basic rural infrastructure in Sabah.
This calls for the construction of 1,020 km of rural roads, and the
provision of electricity and water supplies to 95 percent and 90
percent of the rural folk respectively.

Over 12,000 poor households in the state will get government
assistance in the repair of their existing houses and construction of
new ones.

The NKRA target for Low Income Households, said Ismail, seeks to raise
the income level of the bottom 40 percent of households in the state
through programmes in agriculture, business, jobs and training.

Why only Sabah State government interested in eradicating Hardcore Poverty?

There is no attempt at all to eradicate poverty only Hard core
poverty, so how can poverty be eradicated.

Worst, Sabah state govenment is almost bankrupt, and yet it is the
only body that is interested. The Malaysian(Malayan) government is
not interested at all, despite getting most of the revenue that Sabah
produces, as a result of the generosity of Sabahan BN puppet
government in surrendering all its resources contrary to the Malaysian
agreement.

http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=75274

Sabah not poorest state

Posted on November 15, 2010, Monday

KOTA KINABALU: The State Economic Planning Unit (EPU) of the Chief
MinisterÕs Department has refuted the news report that Sabah is the
poorest state in the country, saying poverty rate in the state was
reduced from 24.2% in 2004 to 16.4% in 2007.

In a rebuttal issued yesterday, the State EPU said the World Bank had
acknowledged in its Inclusive Growth report on 10 Nov that between
1976 and 2004, the State and Federal Government had made great strides
in poverty reduction, so much so that the number of poor households in
Sabah had been reduced from more than 50% in 1976 to 24.2% by the end
of 2004.

ÒThese are facts which are borne out by official statistics based on
the Household Income Survey (HIS) which is carried out at periodic
intervals by the Department of Statistics.

ÒThe Sabah State EPU also wishes to state the fact that based on the
Household Income Survey, the State Government under Datuk Seri
Panglima Musa Haji Aman had successfully reduced the incidence of
household poverty in Sabah from 24.2% in 2004 to 16.4% in 2007.

ÒIf not for the ensuing financial crisis in 2008 and 2009 and the
resultant increase in the prices of many essential items such as food
and transportation due to the reduction in fuel subsidies, the Sabah
EPU is confident that the incidence of household poverty would have
been reduced much further.

According to the State EPU, the mean monthly gross income of Sabahans
had at the same time increased from RM2,593 in 2004 to RM3,102 in
2009, a very respectable average growth of 5.3% annually for the
period 2004-2009, which is better than many states in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, income distribution data from the HIS also indicated that
for the same period the number of Sabahans enjoying income of between
RM1,000 to RM1,999 had increased substantially by 2009.

The Government is targeting to totally eliminate hardcore poverty by
the end of this year.

ÒIt is regrettable that certain people have chosen to ignore the fact
that even in developed countries, by their own standard measure of
poverty, a substantial proportion of their population remains poor,Ó
it said.

ÒFor example, the CIA World Fact Book, an often cited reference
document, has stated that in 2004, 12% of the population of the United
States and 14% of that of the United Kingdom in 2006 live below their
respective poverty line and thus classified as poor.

ÒDo these make United Kingdom and United States poor countries or
poorest amongst the developed countries which perform better than them?
Ó

The State EPU said the World Bank team in the course of the
preparation for the Inclusive Growth report had made a working visit
to Sabah in September 2010 and had had discussions and consultations
with a cross section of individuals and groups in Sabah both from the
private and public sector including academics and NGOs.

ÒThe World Bank team had also visited and assessed the state poverty
eradication programmes such as projects under the Mini Estate
Sejahtera (MESEJ) program and the microcredit scheme under Yayasan
Usaha Maju, a State Government agency providing small loans to the
poor and low income group especially women to allow them to do small
scale businesses and economic activities that can provide sustainable
incomes for them and their families.

ÒIt is a fact that the World Bank was impressed with these programmes,
the tremendous success in the reduction of poverty in Sabah and the
State GovernmentÕs dedication and continuing efforts to eradicate
poverty in Sabah.Ó

It said that other than the poverty eradication programmes mentioned
earlier such as MESEJ, the State Government is presently undertaking
many other poverty programmes aimed at not only raising the income of
the poor but also ensuring a better quality of life for poor families
in both rural and urban areas especially in housing, education and
health.

The State Government has embarked on the implementation of the
AGROPOLITAN projects in areas with pockets of poverty in Sabah such as
Banggi, Pitas, Tongod, Kota Belud, Tenom and Sook/Nabawan under the
9th Malaysia Plan.

On completion these Agropolitan projects would significantly
contribute to reducing poverty further in Sabah.

Likewise, the Federal Government had also embarked on the
implementation of the six National Key Results Areas (NKRAs)
(2010-2012).

One of these is the NKRA pertaining to the development of Rural Basic
Infrastructures in Sabah.

The plan calls for the construction of 1,020 kilometres of rural
roads, provision of electricity and water supply to ensure that 95%
and 90% of rural folks in Sabah obtain these services, and
construction of new houses and repair of existing ones involving
12,494 of poor households.

Meanwhile, the NKRA for Low Income Households had set target to raise
income level of the bottom 40 % of households through the 1ZAM
programs in four main areas Ð agriculture, business, jobs and
training.

The State EPU expressed confidence that with all these untiring
efforts and dedication to development, Sabah will definitely prosper
and on track to become a developed state, where the fruits of
development will be shared equitably by all Sabahans.

Sabah remains the poorest in the world

Why Sabah BN government want to apologise?
It gave away its revenues to the Federal government while getting much
less in return, contrary to the Malaysia agreement.

After all, violating the Malaysian Agreement has been the routine
practise for the BN government.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/politics/sabah-and-sarawak/12870-humiliated-sabah-govt-slams-poverty-report

Humiliated Sabah govt slams 'poverty' report
Mon, 15 Nove 2010 13:23
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By Michael Kaung

KOTA KINABALU: An embarrased 16-year-old Barisan Nasional administered
Sabah state government is furious at the recent World Bank report
which placed Sabah as the poorest state in Malaysia.

Lashing out at 'the facts', the Sabah Chief Minister's Department
(CMD) said that the World Bank's 2010 Malaysia Economic Monitor (MEM)
Report was grossly 'misinterepreted' and the content sensationalised.

The State Ecnomic Planning Unit (EPU) in a statement said its was
'disappointed' that the 'fact on poverty in Sabah was twisted.'

Said EPU director Ismail Abdullah: "It is a gross misinterpretation …

"The EPU, as the state's central planning agency, is disappointed
because the fact on poverty in Sabah was twisted and used to downgrade
the state government's image even though the state administration
under the leadership of Chief Minister Musa Aman is really committed

to developing Sabah and reducing poverty incidence," he said.

Ismail highlighted the fact that the MEM report also mentioned the
significant decrease in the incidence of poverty in Sabah between
1976-2004.

He said his boss, Musa, 'was in control' when the Statistics
Department figures showed that the incidence of household poverty had
gone down from 24.2% in 2004 to 16.4% in 2007.

Ismail also blamed the financial crisis of 2008/2009 and the increase
in the price of many essential items due to the reduction of fuel
subsidies, for the continued high incidence of household poverty.

He said the mean monthly gross income of Sabahans had infact increased
from RM2,593 in 2004 to RM3,102 in 2009 or 5.3% annually during the
period while the number of Sabahans enjoying an income of between
RM1,000 and RM1,999 had increased substantially by 2009.

Ending poverty

Ismail also drew attention to Tawau district, on the east coast of the
state, which was recently declared poverty free by Musa.

He said the state government has targetted the elimination of hardcore
poverty by the end of this year.

Ismail backed his argument by citing figures published in the CIA
World Fact Book which stated that in 2004, 12% of the population of
the United States and 14% of that in the United Kingdom lived below
their respective poverty line and thus were classified as poor.

"Do these (figures) make United Kingdom and United States poor
countries or poorest amongst the developed countries which perform
better than them?" he asked.

The World Bank report released last week painted a different picture
of the state from the cheery outlook of the EPU boss.

The report quoted the bank's East Asia and Pacific Region Human
Development Sector director Emmmanuel Jimenez as saying that there
were "deep pockets of poverty here in Sabah."

Jimenez who was in Kota Kinabalu to present the report last Wednesday
had also reportedly said:"Sabah has about 10% of the Malaysian
population but more than 40% of all poor people in Malaysia live in
Sabah."

The report however noted that when comparing the figure to that of
Selangor, which has about 25% of the population, the percentage of
poor people was less than 10%.

"Whatever poor people remaining in Malaysia, many of them are here in
Sabah and most of them live in the rural areas … groups such as the
Rungus, Suluk and Orang Sungai … according to the statistics … they
remain very high," Jumenez told reporters present.

"I would imagine that once you move away from the coastal areas to the
interior, the poverty rates remain very high," he added.

Jimenez also noted that what most people arriving in the state capital
or other towns in the state noted immediately was its apparent wealthy
state. But this, he hinted, was a mere sheen.

"Just from our own experience coming from the airport to the hotel,
you don't see poverty but the statistics say there's a lot and there
are huge disparities."

Low salaries

He also pointed out Malaysia's vision of a prosperous country through
productivity could be affected because workers are paid poor salaries.

"Those who are working maybe poor not because they are not working
(hard) but working in low-paying jobs. So the question is how to
increase productivity?" he asked.

The World Bank report recommended a three-pronged approach to raising
the living standards of the people living under grinding poverty in
the state.

It stressed that the government must strengthen the investment climate
and revitalise the labour markets; promote investment in human capital
by improving education and provide well-targetted social protection to
help those who cannot help themselves.

World bank states that Sabah is the poorest State in Malaysia

Certainly not Kelantan as stated by BN government since 1996 when I
visited Kelantan.
I beg to differ even in those days. Now not only UNHDP stated it in
2006, the situation remains the same in 2010, as verified by the World
Bank, another independent world body.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/politics/sabah-and-sarawak/13068--kit-siang-wants-royal-inquiry-on-sabah-poverty

Kit Siang wants royal inquiry on Sabah poverty
Sat, 20 Nove 2010 10:03
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By Queville To

KOTA KINABALU: DAP is calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to
investigate how Sabah, which was once a rich state, had crashed to a
point that it was now the "poorest" in Malaysia and is "likely to stay
that way for a considerable length of time".

In making the call, party adviser Lim Kit Siang also asked how the
government had allowed the state to become the poorest in the country
if there was "inclusive growth".

Lim was commenting on a World Bank Report last week which noted that
40% of Malaysia's poor were centred in Sabah, making it the poorest
state in the country.

The embarrassing disclosure has since sent state officials helter-
skelter looking for arguments to counter the report, which has
triggered an uproar against the state government.

Lim said the exhaustive report has exposed the lie that there was
"inclusive growth" in the country.

"Sabah should not have become the poorest state… it was once one of
the richest states before entering into Malaya, together with Sarawak,
to form Malaysia, 47 years ago.

"As emphasised in the official report, 'inclusive growth', means
benefiting every Sabahan and Malaysian and not just a handful of
people. It has been the key objective of the government of Malaysia
since Independence.

"This (report) is an indictment of the government that after 47 years
it has failed to fulfil its promises to the people of Sabah," he told
reporters here yesterday.

Eradication on wrong track

Lim said it was alarming that the World Bank's Human Development
Sector had found that "Sabah is not only the poorest state in
Malaysia, but is likely to stay that way for a considerable length of
time given current efforts on poverty eradication".

"This means that Sabah will not only be the poorest state in Malaysia
but will continue to be the poorest unless there is a total change in
policy," he said, adding that the economic plan in Sabah was neither
balanced nor fair nor equitable nor sustainable for all Sabahans.

Lim said that though the government might have tried for years to
eradicate poverty, it was obviously on the wrong track as the report
showed that Sabahans would continue to struggle to make ends meet,
especially those living in the rural areas.

He said that a Royal Commission of Inquiry should be formed to further
probe on whether the guarantees given to Sabah and Sarawak in 1963
when they agreed to establish Malaysia had been fulfilled.

"Both Sabah and Sarawak could be as developed as Peninsular Malaysia.
That was what they had hoped but it is clear now that the hope has not
been fulfilled."

Lim said that since DAP alone could not force the setting up of such a
commission, it is urging all Sabah BN Members of Parliament to give
their full support to determine why Sabah has remained in the
backwaters.

Also present at the press conference yesterday were Sabah DAP chairman-
cum-Kota Kinabalu MP Hiew King Cheu, Sri Tanjung assemblyman Jimmy
Wong and DAP national publicity assistant secretary Teo Nie Ching.

Malaysia Agreement is already Null and Void

It has just occurred to me that the Malaysia Agreement is already Null
and Void. No need to wait for the agreements to be fulfilled and no
way to rectify it. Can you refurbish a Null and Void agreement? You
can't.

What is missed is the statement in the Borneonisation. The words is
"when Sabahans are qualified".
How can SAbahans not qualified to lead their departments after more
than 10 years? Ridiculous, isn't it.

Let alone 47 years. Borneonisation should have been carried out within
10 years. More than than is just unreasonable. It this failed to be
carried out, then the Agreement is null and void. Even though, Malaya
were to honour the agreement by making all Federal Posts be given to
Sabahans, now, the agreement remains Null and Void.

So there is no point in putting the no cessation clause. Since there
is not Malaysia Agreement, Sabah can demand to be independent any time
now, despite all attempts to fulfill in full the rest of the
agreements.
One option is to renegotiate a new Agreement but Agreement between a
subjugated member will never invalidate the agreement before Sabah was
colonised by Malaya.

One of these days, a few disgruntled groups from SAbah will bring this
Malaysia Agreement to the world court and declare Sabah independent,
like Kosovo. You can imagine what the decision that the World Court
will take. Enforcing it is another matter but it won't be peaceful
until Sabah is devoid of all resources. Even Sabahans will be kicked
out sooner or later.

What is so important about Borneonisation? All the problems that Sabah
face are due to the non-compliance of this part of the Malaysia
Agreement. The corruption, illegal immigrants, destruction of fishing
by bombings, crimes, drugs, gambling, human trafficking are due to
enforcement departments that are not headed by SAbahans, but by
Malayans who never consider Sabah as Malaysia.

Why should they care about Sabah? It is not even considered as their
country. The destruction of SAbah is not the destruction of Malaysia
so corruption, denudation and other social ills are small prices for
these officers' prosperity in their true county, i.e. Malaya aka
Malaysia.

I stand with the view that humans are different from animals because
of their honour. Those who do not honour agreements are not humans but
animals. And you know how animals behave. They have no regard for
human lives. In fact many Sabahans were already victims, directly or
indirectly. Honestly, I am talking about being killed.

About Sabahans killing Malayans? Never hear even a word, but
Sarawakians, yes. No wonder Sarawak is more advanced than Sabah.

Will Sabahans ever fight back? Never. They won't even fight back
politically. But beware, true SAbahans are getting less and less. Too
many immigrants. Malayans will reap what they sow. They already get
this experience right at their backyards. After all, despite what
Malayans like to think, Sabah is still Malaysia.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/politics/sabah-and-saraw...

Time KL honoured 20-Point Agreement, says BN senator
Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:43
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By Michael Kaung

KOTA KINABALU: Three days ahead of the 47th anniversary of the
formation of Malaysia, a Sabah Barisan Nasional party has again urged
the federal government to honour its 20-Point Agreement with the
state.

The United Pasokmomogun KadazanDusun Murut Organisation (Upko) warned
that failure to stick to the agreement would prolong the friction
between the federal government and the people.

“For as long as the federal government remains in a state of denial,
the friction will continue,” Upko vice-president Senator Maijol Mahap
said here yesterday.

"After 47 years of being part of Malaysia, Sabahans have not made any
unnecessary demands such as wanting a local to be the Yang diPertuan
Agong or the Timbalan because this was not included in the agreement,"
he said.

"If Sabahans continue to be denied (the rights guaranteed by the 20
points), then how can the 1Malaysia concept of 'people first,
performance now', be achieved as the definition of the concept is to
ensure that all Malaysians are provided with opportunities
irrespective of region or state?" he said.

"In the context of Sabah, the rights of the people are contained in
the 20-Point Agreement, which were agreed on before the formation of
Malaysia," Maijol said.

He added that "if the decision-makers do not understand or purposely
deny the contents of the agreement, then this issue will continue to
be a source of conflict every time it is raised".He said the federal
government should by now understand why people in Sabah keep demanding
that Sabahans head its departments in the state.

The bitter pill for most Sabahans, he said, is that despite the 20-
Point Agreement clearly stating that the “Borneonisation” of federal
departments and agencies in Sabah should be done as soon as possible,
it had become a broken promise.

Maijol said the wording of the agreement clearly indicated that
Sabahans should be appointed to the posts as soon as they were
qualified and not when a post became available.

"Sadly, when that happens, an officer from Peninsular Malaysia,
despite having served only a few months, will be transferred to Sabah
to head the agency or department.”

He said such officers were unsuitable as they lacked an understanding
of the conditions and feelings of the people to plan and implement
government policies. As such, their tenure in the state was a waste of
time.

He said Sabah has a different set of values from the peninsula, adding
that civil servants there were bound to make mistakes.

Maijol said the “Borneonisation” policy was a case of common sense as
qualified Sabahans would be able to make an impact on the lives of the
people.

The Sabahan civil servants would be familiar with the local situation
unlike officers who were transferred from other places.

Maijol said the usual excuse that local officers were still
inexperienced compared to their counterparts from Peninsular Malaysia
was no longer acceptable.

The 20-Point Agreement relates to:

Point 1: Religion

Point 2: Language

Point 3: Constitution

Point 4: Head of federation

Point 5: Name of federation

Point 6: Immigration

Point 7: Right of secession

Point 8: Borneanisation

Point 9: British officers

Point 10: Citizenship

Point 11: Tariffs and finance

Point 12: Special position of indigenous races

Point 13: State government

Point 14: Transitional period

Point 15: Education

Point 16: Constitutional safeguards

Point 17: Representation in federal parliament

Point 18: Name of head of state

Point 19: Name of state

Point 20: Land, forests, local government, etc.

Sabah's Remarkble Transformation Through Malaysia

BERNAMA is a government mouthpiece. It tends to exaggerate the
achievements of the current BN government especially UMNO.

Statistics don't lie. Our salaries had not increased as much as our
neighbours especially Brunei and Indonesia. In fact, it had decreased
in many areas, taking into account the value of our currency.

In fact Brunei and Singapore never devalue their currencies like
Malaysia, while keep on increasing salaries, whereas in Sabah,
suppression of salaries and devaluations of currencies had made the
income of Sabahans to be 5 times less than Brunei. Indonesia salaries
had increased 300% in the last few years.

The facts are very clear, by 2006 Sabah has among the highest
incidence of poverty in the whole world. Sabah also has the highest
human trafficking cases in the whole world. All this accelerated
during the UMNO rule of Sabah, since 1994.

It is true that Sabah has improved, but at a much slower rate than
other regions included what used to be poor, such as Acheh, Rwanda,
Myanmar, Somalia, Darfur. As a result these regions had improved so
much while Sabah had not. The reason is vey clear.

The policy of the Federal government as state in the Newspaper article
by Taib Mahmud is very clear. Sabah and Sarawak had never been given
any priority in development because it is not cost effective. If this
is not very clear enough, there is now NO SPECIALIST HOSPITAL AT ALL,
in Sabah. Under PBS, the opposition, at least we had SMC, Sabah
Medical Centre. Even medical statistics is very sadly putting Sabah
among the poorest in the whole world. Even in Malaysia Sabah is far
far behing. No wonder, when it is the worst in the whole world.

If the Coal power plant were built, destroying our tourism industry
due to the destruction the environment, the contruction of the gas
pipelines across Sipitang, destroying livelihood of fishermen and tour
operators, while getting nothing for the gas itself, the FUTURE is
very DARK.

After all, it is very clearly stated in all government statements and
budgets. Sabah is not worth developing fast because it is never
economical, but its resources are worth sending to Malaya for free
despite the huge transportation and environmental costs, despite the
dire needs for Sabah. Sabah cannot even use the gas for themselves.
They had to import COAL at heavily subsidised prices.

Sabah's Remarkble Transformation Through Malaysia

By Emin Madi

KOTA KINABALU, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- When Donald Stephens, dressed in a
Kadazandusun traditional attire, read the proclamation of the
Federation of Malaysia on 16 Sept 1963, it was a highly meaningful and
exciting moment for the thousands of people at the Jesselton Town
Field.

Abdul Rahim Ismail was a form one student at Sabah College when he
witnessed the important event that not only marked the inauguration of
a new nation called Malaysia but officially confirmed Sabah's
participation in the federation.

"Although I knew what was going on but at that particular moment I did
not think much of the event's significance to my state as well as my
future," said Abdul Rahim.

The historical event at the town field now known as Padang Merdeka was
held in the presence of Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, the deputy prime
minister then.

After the proclamation was read, (Tun) Datu Mustapha bin Datu Harun
was sworn in as Head of State and Donald Stephen (later to be known as
Tun Fuad Donald Stephen) as the Chief Minister of Sabah.

Looking back, Abdul Rahim, now a Datuk and a former state minister,
said being the son of a poor fisherman, there was nothing much to look
forward in life and he was unsure of his future.

"But independence has indeed brought new hope to the people of Sabah,
especially the poor like me.

"I am proud to say that what I have achieved today was the result of
Sabah's independence through Malaysia," said Abdul Rahim, who hails
from Kampung Buang Sayang, Papar.

TRANSFORMATION OF SABAH

Abdul Rahim who is currently the Chairman of the Fisheries Development
Authority (LKIM) pointed out that Sabah has undergone tremendous
transformation in terms of physical infrastructure and socio-economic
development since joining the federation.

"But the real transformation as far as Sabah is concerned is
undoubtedly after the Barisan Nasional (BN) took charge of the state,
where the Federal-State government working relationship improved
tremendously," he said.

"While Malaysians truly benefited from their new found freedom, some
countries were unfortunate because they were still troubled by
internal conflicts that led to bloodshed and civil wars even after
independence.

"I think we should never forget to tell our children and future
generation on the importance of appreciating our country's
independence," he said.

In echoing Abdul Rahim's views, Zaiton OKK Anik agreed that since
gaining independence through Malaysia 47 years ago Sabah has
practically transformed from an economic backwater into a vibrant,
united and progressive state.

"Now people can move freely and conveniently from one place to another
because of the availability of good road network throughout the state.

"You will also notice that even some remote areas in Sabah are now
provided with electricity, water supply, clinics and schools," the 59-
year former teacher said.

Zaiton, who attended secondary school in Keningau, said she was
particularly proud of Sabah's transformation in the field of
education, especially with the mushrooming of public and private
institutions of higher learning in the state.

"30 years ago or so, it was very costly for Sabahans to pursue studies
at universities in Peninsular due to many factors, including distance,
cost of air flights and accommodation," says Zaiton.

"But Sabah students now have the opportunity to pursue their studies
at local universities without having to go overseas," she said

Zaiton also believes that Sabah's rapid socio-economic development
under Malaysia is due to the sound management of its vast resources by
past and present leaders, especially under the BN government.

"In short, Sabah through the goodwill of state and federal leaders has
indeed gained a lot in terms of socio-economic development since
gaining independence and the people now enjoying better standard of
living.

HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE

A young lawyer, Azman Ruslan, feels fortunate to learn of the
experiences of his parents who have lived during and after the
colonial era.

"It is even more fortunate for people of my generation because we have
everything on a silver platter as a result of the selfless struggles
of our past and present leaders.

"I therefore believe that we should not only play a role in
safeguarding the sovereignty of our nation but also teach the future
generation about the meaning and importance of independence," says
Azman, who was born in August, 1970.

Azman, who is also Sabah Umno Youth head, said it was therefore
imperative for the future generation to remember the history of our
country's independence as 'colonialisation' could repeat in different
perspective.

While appreciative of Sabah's tremendous socio-economic achievement
under Malaysia, Jasni Matlani, a writer and head of the Badan Bahasa
Sabah (BAHASA), believes the struggle must continue in safeguarding
our sovereignty.

"Therefore I suggest that any form of activities that involve youths
must include programmes that inculcate the history of our nation's
independence as well as paying tribute to those who struggled for
independence.

"We also urge the government to consider setting up a special
allocation for non-governmental organisations (NGOs), especially the
literary and cultural bodies, to conduct youth programmes that create
awareness," he said.

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Apin, a quantity surveyor, says those who have
inherited the colonialists' era robust thinking must consider
themselves lucky.

"We find that life in the challenging 21st century actually calls for
the rigid and disciplined leadership of the colonial era," he said.

-- BERNAMA

Justifications against Coal Power Plant for Sabah

This is a well researched article giving the justifications why Coal
Power Plant is extremely destructive to Sabah.

It is not just bad, but very destructive. Nature, Ecotourism is all
that Sabah has after Oil and Gas revenue had been taken away from
Sabah. Now they even want to deny Gas and Oil for Sabah's own
consumption.

Preferring to import coal at huge costs and subsidies while spending
billions to build such an expensive Coal Power Plant. Gas power plant,
like that in Sepanggar bay is much cheaper, faster to build and easier
to power using Gas because Gas is already in Sabah, unlike Coal.

There is only one reason for the continuance of the Coal power plant.
To suck Sabah dry while ignoring the needs of Sabahans and its future.
It is a worst disaster than the loss of the Oil revenue and Labuan. At
these these losses do not affect our long term survival but Coal power
plant will destroy our future and quality of life.

http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0813-cynthia_ong_pm_letter.html

Malaysia preparing to take big step backward on energy policy
Commentary by Cynthia Clare Ong Gaik Suan
August 13, 2010

An open letter to the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Dear Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak,

I write to you as a deeply concerned and saddened citizen of Malaysia.
For most of the 45 years of my life, I have been proud to be
Malaysian. Recently, I have become heartbroken to be Malaysian.

I am profoundly grateful to write this with the support of both my
local communities in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo and California, U.S.A.,
and a larger world community. That said, I take full ownership of and
sole responsibility for the views articulated in this letter; I
express them from my stand as a mother, an earth citizen and a leader.

I founded and lead a public charity and non profit organization both
in Malaysia and in the U.S., to bridge between worlds and build
partnerships for ecological conservation. I have been at the front
lines of the founding and mobilization of Green SURF (Sabah Unite to
RePower the Future), the civil society movement opposing the
construction of the 300 megawatt coal-fired power plant in Lahad Datu,
Sabah, on the edge of the Coral Triangle, one of three of the world's
most bio-diverse ecosystems. You know. You signed the 6-nation
declaration between Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New
Guinea, East Timor and Solomon Islands to collectively protect this
1.6 billion acres of ocean. You also know of course of your pledge at
Copenhagen to reduce carbon emission intensity by up to 40% by 2020.
You likely also know that the plant will displace fishing communities
who have been there for a long time - irreparably contaminating their
livelihoods forever. And if you listened, you would also know that
they do not want the "development" that your government is imposing on
them.

Tun Sakaran Marine Park , made up of pristine islands and marine
waters, lies off the coast of Semporna less than 100 kilometers from
the coal plant. Photo by: Yee I-Lann.

One of the priorities of Green SURF was to study clean energy
alternatives to the coal-plant, and propose them to the government. We
collectively invested tremendous time and resources to identify and
commission the expertise of Professor Daniel Kammen at Renewable and
Appropriate Energy Laboratory of University of California, Berkeley to
conduct the Clean Energy Options for Sabah report. We had no notion of
the outcome of the study, and results showed that Sabah is in an
exceptional position to shift towards clean energy due to the
availability of natural resources. We are in fact in an opportune
position to lead the nation and the region in clean energy - the kind
of leadership the world so urgently needs now. I wonder if you know
that Sabah is the last coal power-free frontier of Borneo. FYI, the 5
core NGOs in Green SURF are amongst the largest, oldest and most
recognized conservation groups in Sabah and Malaysia - collectively
responsible for most of the conservation work in the nation, with
partnerships that span the world.

We have tried every avenue available to communicate to you the results
of our findings and to engage in discussion about the future of energy
for Sabah. After months of unsuccessful attempts to meet with you, I
can only conclude that you do not want to meet with us. This confuses
and disturbs me. Your words in public are about listening to the
rakyat (people) and hearing their views. A sizeable portion of the
rakyat of Sabah has been doing everything within their power to be
heard by you. To no avail. We have given you the benefit of the doubt
that word is not getting to you, and yet we have met with those around
you who promised they would convey our message to you. Many months,
memos, reports, letters, faxes, emails and phone calls later, and we
have not received a single response from you or any member of your
administration. We also did our best at state level government, and
have huge support from within the government but ultimately the
message is that this is untouchable because "ini Najib mau" (Najib
wants this).

Sir, my most consistent experience of your administration is stone
walls, arrogance and insincerity. I am shocked by the behavior of the
leadership of my nation. I find it patronizing, archaic, oppressive,
blatantly and self-righteously elitist and top-down. I do not
experience your administration as democratic, transparent, open,
accountable or responsible. There is a deep incongruence between what
you are projecting externally and what we have experienced internally.
I can only surmise that you intentionally run your administration in
this manner. Otherwise, it would mean that your leadership is
incompetent and ineffective.

I am angry, and I am not willing to accept systemic disempowerment of
our people. I am writing this open letter as a last resort. Sabahans
are speaking up because we are deeply troubled and scared about the
fate of our ecological and cultural legacy, and what we will be able
to hand down to our future generations. Please show true leadership
and listen. You and your administration have much to do to regain a
modicum of respect amongst many Sabahans. If 1Malaysia is more than a
PR campaign and is truly intended "to provide a free and open forum to
discuss the things that matter deeply to us as a Nation", please walk
your talk.

The coal plant will be built on the northern edge of Lahad Datu Bay.
Photo by: Cede Prudente.

The circle denotes the coal plant. Tabin Wildlife Reserve is to the
west, Semporna (Tun Sakaran Marine Park) is to the south. Map courtesy
of Green SURF.

Map shows Sabah's place in the coral triangle. Map courtesy of Green
SURF.

Comments (1)

Related articles

Photos reveal paradise-like site for coal plant in Borneo

(05/21/2010) With the world's eyes on the environmental catastrophe in
the Gulf of Mexico, many are beginning to ponder the rightness of not
just America's, but the world's dependence on fossil fuels. Yet large-
scale fossil-fuel energy projects continue to march ahead, including
one in the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo to build a 300 MW coal
plant, which has come under fierce opposition from locals (already the
project has been forced to move locations twice). The newest proposal
will build the coal plant, as photos below reveal, on an undeveloped
beach overlooking the Coral Triangle, one of the world's most
biodiverse marine environments, with transmission lines likely running
through nearby pristine rainforest that are home to several endangered
species, including orangutans and Bornean rhinos.

Fishermen express doubts about coal plant overlooking their fishing
grounds

(06/13/2010) Local fishermen in the Malaysian state of Sabah are
uncertain of their future, if the government pushes ahead to build a
300 megawatt coal power plant. They have been told they will be moved
from their current seaside village to one deeper inland, and while the
coal plant will provide manual labor work in its building stages, the
fishermen express doubt about the impacts over the long-term effects
of the coal plant on their livelihood. "Someone mentioned that maybe
we have to move to Sungai Merah, which is quite far from our village.
We are also worried because Sungai Merah is not next to the sea like
[our village] is," local fishermen, Ali Hia, told Green SURF and Save
Sandakan members—two local organizations opposed to the coal plant—who
recently visited the seaside village of Kampung Sinakut, site of the
proposed coal plant.

Analysis shows Borneo can say 'no' to coal power

(03/17/2010) Plans for a coal power plant in the Malaysian state of
Sabah in northern Borneo have run into stiff opposition.
Environmentalists say the coal plant could damage extensive coral reef
systems, pollute water supplies, open rainforests to mining, and
contribute to global climate change, undercutting Sabah's image as a
'green' destination. The federal government contends that the coal
plant is necessary to fix Sabah's energy problems. However, a recent
energy audit by the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL)
at the University of California Berkeley shows that pollution-
intensive coal doesn't have to be in Sabah's future.

Coal plant could damage rainforest reserves, coral reefs, palm oil
plantations in Malaysian Borneo

(12/20/2009) A proposed coal-fired power plant in Malaysian Borneo
could damage the region's world-renowned coral reefs, pollute air and
water supplies, open Sabah's biodiverse rainforests to mining, and
undermine the state's effort to promote itself as a destination for
"green" investment and ecotourism, warn environmentalists leading an
effort to block the project. The scheme, which is backed by the
federal Tenaga Nasional Berhad and state energy company, Sabah
Electricity Sdn. Bhd, has faced strong opposition and already been
forced to re-locate twice since it was conceived more than two years
ago. The 300-MW plant is now planned for a coastal area that is
situated in the middle of the Coral Triangle/Sulu Sulawesi Marine
Ecoregion, an area renowned for astounding levels of biodiversity.

Prime minister approves the application for 6,000 hectares of land by Ibans

If this is true, it shows also that Sarawak has lost control over
their own land. Land approval is supposed to be Sarawak matters, and
does not require any approval from the PM of Malaysia.

And only RM34 million for rural roads, to be spent 5 years later?
Too little and too late.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/131660

11.20am: Prime minister approves the application for 6,000 hectares
of land by Ibans for oil palm plantations, during his visit to a
longhouse, Rumah Sebastian Onggoh along Jalan Teku.

Najib Abdul Razak also announces that RM34 million will be set aside
under the 10th Malaysia Plan to upgrade the Pasai Siong road in Sibu's
rural district.

Kelantan is getting more prosperous under PAS compared to Sabah under BN

Just look at the passenger traffic at the various airports in
Malaysia.
While in BN controlled states, the number of passengers had gone down,
in Kelantan it has gone up.
Who says that Kelantan is backward under PAS?

http://www.malaysiaairports.com.my/index.php?ch=38&pg=157&ac=1026

Traffic
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Passengers
589,950
639,871
635,397
678,306
759,316
836,060
Cargo handled
(metric tonnes)
315
235
168
210
163
181
Cargo handled (KG)
694
518
370
462
163,433
181,327
Aircraft movements
10,010
11,869
11,194
38,352
58,996
57,102

Malaysia Airport Berhad,
Lapangan Terbang Sultan Ismail Petra,
16100 Kota Bharu,
MALAYSIA.
Tel: +60 (0) 9 773 7400
Fax: +60 (0) 9 773 2852

Traffic
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Passengers
497,999
574,213
621,513
633,194
626,192
618,927
Cargo handled
(metric tonnes)
3,713
4,053
4,531
5,475
6,224
3,055
Cargo handled (KG)
8,185
8,935
9,989
12,070
6,224,488
3,054,589
Aircraft movements
10,588
10,823
11,662
10,776
8,410
9,622

Lapangan Terbang Sandakan,
Peti Surat 1719,
90719 Sandakan, SABAH,
MALAYSIA.
Tel: +60 (0) 89 660405
Fax: +60 (0) 89 668226

Traffic
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Passengers
1,377,312
1,509,684
1,594,855
1,559,379
1,454,167
1,537,840
Cargo handled
(metric tonnes)
3,881
4,721
5,392
4,080
3,564
4,146
Cargo handled (KG)
8,556
10,407
11,887
8,994
3,564,114
4,146,405
Aircraft movements
43,460
45,269
42,865
42,680
35,502
38,172

Lapangan Terbang Miri,
Peti Surat 851,
98008 Miri,
MALAYSIA.
Tel: +60 (0) 85 615205
Fax: +60 (0) 85 615208

Traffic
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Passengers
31,108
46,692
27,683
18,509
27,209
23,751
Cargo handled
(metric tonnes)
214
602
370
146
219
179
Cargo handled (KG)
471
1,327
815
321
219,348
178,618
Aircraft movements
57,636
70,369
77,504
74,880
64,936
60,512

Lapangan Terbang Batu Berendam,
75350 Melaka,
MALAYSIA.
Tel : +60 (0) 6 317 5860
Fax: +60 (0) 6 317 5214

Sabah's True poverty at 60%!

Given the higher cost of living nowadays, this figure should be
correct instead of the BN government's self imposed poverty figure.

No region can withstand outstanding robbery of its resources as had
happened in Sabah. Sabah had been robbed of hundreds of billions of RM
and yet given back only less than RM10 billion. This amount is not
enough to cover the costs of the damages done by the stripping of
Sabah's wealth.

The worst is to come with the building of the coal powered plant
while our hydroelectric and gas resources are exported out of Sabah at
great costs, RM2.5 billion for piping to Bintulu and RM10 billion for
underwater electric cables. Soon Maliau BAsin will be stripped bared
for its coal deposits.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/politics/sabah-and-sarawak/4961-sabah-poverty-issue-crippling-bn

Sabah poverty issue crippling BN
TUE, 27 APR 2010 11:40
BY FMT Staff

KOTA KINABALU: The federal government's E-Kasih system has identified
15,293 families in Sabah who are living below the RM540 a month
poverty level .

They were among 44,634 poor families nationwide, who had registered
with the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry's E-Kasih
programme.

The families were from Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah and
Johor.

Poverty in Sabah has become a politically crippling issue for the
Barisan Nasional government.

According to the the Sabah-based Common Interest Group Malaysia
(CigMa), about 1.8 million or 60% of the 3.25 million population in
Sabah live in poverty.

In five decades, Sabah, which was once the riches state in Malaysia,
is now the poorest.

Much of it has been attributed to the exponential population increase
and the "Malaysianisation" of illegal immigrants during former Prime
Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's reign.

While the BN-led state government claims that poverty levels have
progressively been reduced, private non-governmental organisations and
opposition leaders differ on the issue.

Serious issue

Yesterday, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat
Abdul Jalil, who admitted that poverty in Sabah was a matter of grave
concern, said the government had deployed the National Population and
Family Development Board Malaysia (LPPKN) officers to access the
hardcore poor and low income families.

"We've set aside RM6.9 million for the LPPKN programmes in six states
to help the poor.

"We will be looking at various issues. One is finance. We will have to
find out which segment they fall under -- the low-income group or
hardcore poor.

"Next, we want to know whether the head of the house is able to work
or if the family needs aid," she said.

She addded that LPPKN will also be identifying household members who
need training, job placements or if they are keen to do business.

"We will find out their needs before helping them," she said.

Shahrizat said it is a start to tackling a serious issue.

"We've been evolving our approach... since the 2008 general
election... I was shocked when I lost in Lembah Pantai.

"But it was a good lesson and since we are still governing the
country, it is a god-given opportunity to make amends and improve
ourselves and the public service delivery system," she said.

On allegations that her ministry was incompetent, she said: "We are
not a department. It's a big ministry... yes, sometimes we make
mistakes too, but we rectify them just as quickly."

Removing Hardcore Poverty(RM540), with RM300/month allowance

The ministry only provides RM300 per month allowance for those
categorized as hard core. My widowed and sickly cousin, was not even
registered earlier so not in the 44,643 hard core poor figure.

If it can happen to my cousin that live right in Sandakan Town, 10km
from the town centre, what about those living in the remote Islands?

hard core is supposed to be survival state. You need RM540 to survive
in Sabah. With RM300, it is not sufficient to survive, especially when
you have to pay water and electricity bills.
Where are the other RM240 coming from? They expect it to be coming
from her relatives such as her son that also have a wife and a few
children, and yet earn below the poverty level.

April 27, 2010 18:20 PM
Shahrizat Confident Of Zero Hardcore Poor By Year End
KOTA KINABALU, April 27 (Bernama) -- Women, Family and Community
Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil today expressed
confidence that the ministry could get all hardcore poor families in
the country out of the clutches of poverty by year end.

She said the confidence was based on positive development of the
programmes implemented by the government and the initiatives taken by
government's departments and agencies in achieving their National Key
Result Areas (NKRA).

"When the NKRA was first introduced, we have 44,643 hardcore poor
families listed in the E-Kasih system.

"Now, after four months of NKRA implementation, we only have 32,693
hardcore poor families left in the list," she told reporters after
briefing Sabah Cabinet members, elected representatives and government
officers on her ministry's NKRA, here Tuesday.

Also present was Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.

Shahrizat said the ministry needed an additional allocation of RM1.66
billion to get the rest of the families out of poverty by December.

She said the additional allocation was vital to help the states that
had the most poor and hardcore poor families, especially Sabah.

At present, she said there were 15,923 hardcore poor families earning
a monthly household income of less than RM540 and 16,753 poor families
with a monthly household income of RM960 in Sabah.

Meanwhile, Musa said the state government was willing to assist the
ministry as such a cooperation between the federal and state
governments was vital to enable them to receive the allocation and
channel it faster to the target groups.

"We are so happy to be able to discuss and exchange our views on how
the NKRA could be implemented more efficiently and in an orderly
manner," he added.

-- BERNAMA

Delay in World Heritage Application shows that Maliau Basin will be Denuded

Why the delay in the application?
It was mentioined more than 20 years ago. Will it take another 20
years to go ahead?
By this time the coal-powered plant will be operational and will have
the excuse to demand more coal from Maliau Basin.
Have you seen the strip mining in Indonesia? That will happen to
Maliau Basin and will be a disaster worse than the Copper Mine in
Ranau.

If Sabahans can get something out of it, it is all right but facts
show that Sabah has become worse off by being the poorest in the
world, and still the lowest
medical health facility in the world while having the highest case of
Jaundice in the world. All my 5 children got Jaundice at birth whereas
all of us 7 brothers and sisters never got any Jaundice at all.
All are due to the copper mine at Mamut, Ranau.

What will happen after the coal power plant and strip mining of Maliau
basin. What else apart from Jaundice will our future generations get
while still having the least number of doctors and hospitals in the
world.

http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Malaysia-Seeks-Heritage-Listing-for-Lost-World-90830694.html

Malaysia Seeks Heritage Listing for Lost World
The Maliau Basin covers almost 600 square kilometers, hidden so deeply
within Borneo that it was only discovered in the 1970s. Much of it
remains unexplored.
Luke Hunt | Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia 14 April 2010

Photo: VOA - L. Hunt
An Orangutan on north east Borneo, not far from the Maliau Basin,
which will soon be nominated as a World Heritage Site
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In Malaysia, authorities have ended years of debate and announced they
will seek a World Heritage listing for the Maliau Basin, a pristine
wilderness area in remote northern Borneo.

The decision to seek World Heritage status will effectively save the
isolated and celebrated rain forests from timber and mining interests.

The basin covers almost 600 square kilometers, hidden so deeply within
Borneo that it was only discovered in the 1970s. Much of it remains
unexplored. Scientists hail the Malaysian government's decision on a
heritage listing as a victory for the environment.

Glen Reynolds, director of the Royal Society's Southeast Asian rain
forest program, says a listing will go a long way toward securing the
forest's future.

"Oh it's fabulous, I think it's the most amazing bit of forest I've
ever been in," he said. "There's certain bits of Maliau Basin I doubt
there's ever, [that] anybody's ever set foot. The terrain is very
difficult, it's a got a certain degree of natural protection if you
like in as much as it's very inaccessible, but you know it's really
extraordinary."

Miners and timber conglomerates have long eyed the minerals and trees
in the basin, which is home to clouded leopards, orangutans,
rhinoceros, pigmy elephants and hundreds of waterfalls.

Concerns for what remains of Malaysia's native habitat prompted a
decision by the Sabah state government that gave the go ahead for the
Maliau Basin to be nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

But Reynolds notes that rain forest preservation can only be achieved
by including timber companies and miners within the conservation
process.

Malaysian resource company Sime Darby is negotiating to finance a 10-
year scientific study of altered forests and their ecosystems. Funding
is expected to top millions of dollars.

"Most forested areas and obviously plantations, it's all held by big
corporates," he said. "So if we're going to conserve these forests,
better manage them, then you've got to be working within and in
partnership with these companies. They are the major land managers now
in this part of Southeast Asia so it's critical that we're engaged
with them."

Increasingly companies and governments realize that carbon trading -
where industrial polluters pay countries with large forests to keep
trees standing could prove a lucrative way to raise the money to
protect the environment, and fund economic growth.

BN is proud of Sabah's High Poverty Rate

SAbah at 1 doctor every 2650 is 0.37 per 1000 people. As figures below
shows, Sabah is still the poorest among them despite the data being 5
years old.

= 145 Fiji: 0.34 per 1,000 people 1999
= 145 Tonga: 0.34 per 1,000 people 2001
# 144 Burma: 0.36 per 1,000 people 2004
= 142 Nicaragua: 0.37 per 1,000 people 2003
= 142 Thailand: 0.37 per 1,000 people 2000
# 141 Botswana: 0.4 per 1,000 people 2004
# 140 Northern Mariana Islands: 0.44 per 1,000 people 1999
= 138 Iran: 0.45 per 1,000 people 2004

In comparison with Brunei in year 2000, Sabah still has a very long
way to go, and yet BN government is already proud of this figure.
Only gullible fools want a government that is satisfied in giving such
poor service to Sabahans that has much more resources than Brunei.

12 Brunei: 1.01 per 1,000 people 2000
# 113 Maldives: 0.92 per 1,000 people 2004
# 114 Guatemala: 0.9 per 1,000 people 1999
# 115 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 0.87 per 1,000 people
1997
# 116 Jamaica: 0.85 per 1,000 people 2003
# 117 Trinidad and Tobago: 0.79 per 1,000 people 1997
# 118 American Samoa: 0.78 per 1,000 people 1999
# 119 South Africa: 0.77 per 1,000 people 2004
# 120 Pakistan: 0.74 per 1,000 people 2004
= 121 Samoa: 0.7 per 1,000 people 1999
= 121 Malaysia: 0.7 per 1,000 people 2000

http://groups.google.com.my/group/soc.culture.malaysia/post?hl=en
April 15, 2010 17:53 PM
Tun Ahmadshah: Sabahans Enjoy A Better Quality Of Life
KOTA KINABALU, April 15 (Bernama) -- The Sabah people are now enjoying
a better quality of life through the provision of various facilities
and services, Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sabah Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah
said.

He said that in terms of health facility, there were now 22 hospitals,
270 government clinics, including those in the rural areas, and 298
private clinics.

"The doctor-population ratio is also improving from one doctor to
2,935 people in 2006 to one doctor to 2,650 people last year," he said
in his speech when opening the third term of the state legislative
assembly here Thursday.

In terms of education, Ahmadshah said the number of schools had also
increased, from 1,257 in 2006 to 1,271 in 2008.

In the meantime, he said, over 20 education institutions had stated
their commitment to open their respective branches at the Sandakan
Education Hub which is expected to be completed by 2016.

Among them are Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Mara Junior Science College,
several polytechnics, Inland Revenue Board training centre, Asian
Tourism Institute and PTPL College.

"More education opportunities will be provided either at the secondary
or higher education levels to create quality human resources," he
said.

He said the RM2 billion hub, mooted by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa
Aman, would make Sabah the only state in Malaysia to have a large-
scale and integrated education hub.

Meanwhile, Ahmadshah said Sabah should produce high quality products
and services to transform the state from a low-income to a high-income
state.

He said despite numerous positive developments under the Ninth
Malaysia Plan (9MP) (2006-2010), the state was still faced with
internal and external challenges.

"The state should make the shift towards the 10th Malaysia Plan, with
the incorporation of knowledge-based inputs and innovation into all
production chains," he said.

In a related development, Ahmadshah said the state's tourism industry
continued to grow despite the global economic downturn, with tourism
receipt reaching RM3.86 billion last year.

"Some nine million tourists visited Sabah during the first four years
of 9MP compared to about seven million during the previous Malaysia
plan," he said.

Ahmadshah said the number of hotels had also increased to 443 last
year compared to 279 at the end of 8MP.

"This means that there was also an increase in the number of hotel
rooms from 11,528 in 2005 to 18,065 last year," he said.

The tourism sector provided 83,384 employments last year compared to
64,977 in 2006, he added.

-- BERNAMA

30pc Sabahans under new poverty index: Harris

If you consider RM1,700 to be the poverty line in KL, the poverty line
in most towns in Sabah is not that far off from RM1,700 so the
percentage of Sabahans that are below the poverty line is much higher
than the official figure of just 16%.

30pc Sabahans under new poverty index: Harris
Published on: Sunday, April 04, 2010
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Tawau: Former Chief Minister Datuk Harris Salleh said Sabah still lags
behind other states in Malaysia after 50 years of independence through
the formation of Malaysia.

He estimated that at least 30 per cent of Sabahans are under the new
poverty index.

There are many Sabahans still living on subsistence income or "kais
pagi makan pagi, kais petang makan petang," he said.

"With the cost and standards of living escalating and with the income
of the people in rural and urban areas only increasing slightly, the
effect means that people will just continue to be poorer and poorer
under the new index of poverty," he said.

He also lamented that the Federal Government has classified people in
Kuala Lumpur earning RM1,700 as poor.

Speaking to 18 members of the Ex-Assemblymen Association during their
visit to Balung here, Saturday, he said these days money is everything
and is required for everything.

Although the rural houses may have been rebuilt or improved by the
Government, at least 15 per cent of these houses have hardly any cash
even as low as RM10 at any one time, he said.

"Vegetables or fruits are hardly being planted around their house
compound. These outside incomes may be from the government contracts
or either their children working in Peninsular Malaysia," he said.

"It appears that the government policies and programmes are not
conductive nor productive in helping these rural people. With the
desires on living the modern lifestyle, these rural people had to sell
off their lands or lease them all at once for 99 years.

"The government stimulus packages and the subsistence on various
consumer goods, that includes the giving of allowance to the hardcore
poor and fishermen. All these do not contribute much to the rural
economy.

The stimulus packages are nothing but only benefits the 'negotiated
contractors' and foreign workers.

"Development of infrastructures like schools and medical facilities
does not contribute directly to the income of the rural people," he
said.

With respect to the tourists, Sabah is only getting mostly the budget
tourists but despite this fact, everyone is praising Sabah as a great
tourist product, he said.

"I, on my part, have left many economic activities for Sabah and
Sabahans.

For example, the famous 906,330 acres identified and reserved for the
smallholders and the planting of accacia trees. Accacia wood will be
the wood of Sabah for now and the future," he said.

He was also critical of the ex-assemblymen, asking them if they had
achieved anything to change Sabah and Sabahans, particularly the
livelihoods of the people during their respective terms.

"The answer is categorically, no," he said.