STAR: CM Must Take Responsibility for Sabah’s Poverty

Musa must take responsibility for 

Sabah’s poverty

It was very disturbing to read in the local papers on Thurs 15 Nov, 2012 that Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman continues to remain in a state of denial on the grinding poverty situation in Sabah.

This is really unbecoming on the part of the Chief Minister. His high-handed attitude should be deplored and roundly condemned by all Sabahans especially the vast majority who has been suffering for so long under the BN Government since 1994.

We are by no means entirely blaming Musa for the plight of Sabah but he must share a large part of the blame. He has been the Chief Executive for a good many years and shows no signs, if any, of going away anytime soon and giving others an opportunity to do a better job. 

Sabah’s oil curse strikes again

Poverty-riddled Sabah is the sixth biggest contributor to
the national economy, contributing more than a quarter of
the total oil and gas produced in the country.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah lost control of its oil wealth more than 30 years ago but the fallout of the widely acknowledged cock-eyed contract is continuing to roil business dealings in the state.

The state Barisan Nasional government is now facing more questions over how it is managing the Petronas-sponsored Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal (SOGT) project that began more than a year ago.

The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has accused Chief Minister Musa Aman’s Umno-led BN government of failing to safeguard the interest of the local companies in the ongoing multi-billion-ringgit project.

Melanie Chia, the party’s outspoken women’s wing chief, said there appeared to be no attempt by the state government to ensure locals get a bigger share of the spin-offs from the SOGT project.

‘Govt must subsidise transport to Sabah’

The federal government must provide proof that
freight charges have no impact on the price of
consumer goods in Sabah.

By Azman Habu of FMT

TAWAU: The federal government must subsidise trans-shipment of goods to Sabah in order to standardise the prices of consumer goods in the state with that in Peninsular Malaysia.

Tawau MP Chua Soon Bui said talks have been going on for years with no solution in sight while consumers have been forced to cough up more money for goods that are cheaper in the peninsula.

“If the federal government can afford to subsidise the toll charges on federal highways for billions of ringgits, there’s no reason why the same cannot be done for transport to Sabah as a result of the cabotage policy,” she said over the weekend.