Warisan asks if Rahman going to contest in Sepanggar
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah Wira chief for Sepanggar, Norazmi Hj Alimat is questioning Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan’s motive for announcing the multi-million ringgit road upgrading and flyover projects in Sepanggar.
“Does this mean there is a likelihood of Abdul Rahman contesting in the Sepanggar parliamentary constituency in the upcoming election?” he asked.
“I wonder why as the Member of Parliament for Kota Belud, Rahman would opt to come to the aid of people in Sepanggar instead of his own constituents when Kota Belud itself had a myriad of problems, the most outstanding one being floods, and it would be far better to spend the whopping amount of RM420 million to alleviate the worsening problem,” he said in a statement yesterday.
At a recent Umno delegates meeting for Sepanggar division, Abdul Rahman announced that RM420 million had been approved to widen the road between Indah Permai and Yayasan Sabah into a three-lane dual carriageway.
There will also be four flyovers built in Indah Permai, UMS junction, Rampayan junction and Kingfisher junction.
Norazmi stressed that although he did not mean to reject any development projects, he found it insincere and illogical.
“Abdul Rahman is a Kota Belud MP and it is his responsibility to look after the people in the area. Why is he announcing projects for another area when Kota Belud desperately needs his attention?
“It is insincere because the announcement is made at a time when the elections are imminent and my conclusion is that he is aiming to contest in Sepanggar,” he opined.
The lawyer said if indeed Abdul Rahman was serious about doing good in Sepanggar, he should spend the RM420 million on more pertinent issues.
These include the squatter problem in Kampung Likas, Numbak and Pulau Penampang next to 1Borneo as well as granting registered land ownership to qualified residents in Sepanggar, he said.
There is also the protracted problem of getting clean water supply in Kampung Numbak and Kampung Suang Parai, haphazardly placed community settlements and frequent flash floods due to poor drainage and its lack of maintenance, he added.
Norazmi also found Abdul Rahman’s explanation for approving the project in Sepanggar to be preposterous.
“Just because he lives in Sepanggar, in Kingfisher Sulaman, is not a strong enough reason to justify RM420 million for Sepanggar,” he said.
Saying that the only reason for Abdul Rahman to proclaim the project is to facilitate his candidacy in Sepanggar, Norazmi described it as a “sweetener” to tempt voters in that constituency.