How life has changed for better in Kiulu after independence
TUARAN: In the years before independence, the people of Kiulu, located at the foot of the Crocker Range, about 60km from Kota Kinabalu city, lived in dire circumstances, especially in terms of the infrastructure development.
Back then, the residents of about 106 villages in Kiulu were forced to walk for hours through the trails, valleys and forests to reach the nearest town due to the lack of road facilities.
“At that time, there were no electricity, school or clinic and most of the villagers were poor,” said Gintin Gimpat , 90, from Kampung Mangkaladom, Kiulu, to Bernama.
She said the situation before the independence was very different compared to the present as almost all of the villages in Kiulu were now equipped with various facilities including roads, schools and electricity.
“These, for me, are the good things about independence. The people in Kiulu should be grateful to the government which succeeded in changing the Kiulu development landscape,” she said.
Sibin Gantou, 65, from Kampung Nulohon Baru said the development transformation after Merdeka was very significant in Kiulu, which is also well-known for rural tourism.
“Now, the people of Kiulu are living comfortable lives with many being highly educated and holding high positions in the public and private sectors,” he said.
He said the government had also provided various types of welfare assistance to help the less fortunate in the villages.
Meanwhile, Unus Limun, a developer in Kiulu state constituency said the government had allocated hundreds of millions of ringgit to carry out various development projects in the area for the past few years.
“These include the GonipisTobobon road construction project which has been approved under the federal government’s provision through the Rural and Regional Development Ministry last year.
“The latest project, which is currently being implemented, is the construction of 80km road from Telipok town to Kampung Randagong in Ranau at a cost of about RM300 million. The road will pass through several villages in Kiulu including Kampung Pukak, Lubok, Lokub and Kampung Ratau,” he said.