Najib brings a lot more devt to Sabah — Pairin
KENINGAU: Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan said the government’s commitment under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has brought progress to Sabah.
He said a lot more development programs were carried in the state through the present Prime Minister compared to former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“Among the high-impact development projects under Najib, which the people in the state including those in Sarawak will enjoy, is a Pan Borneo Highway project,” he said when opening the Chinese New Year Friendly Night organized by Keningau Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) parliamentary at a community hall here Thursday.
Pairin, who is also the Infrastructure Development Minister, also said another development enjoyed by the people at this time was the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) which enabled people to deal with government agencies after office hours.
Beside, he said there were various programs, including raising aid for needy groups and empowering the education system as announced in Budget 2018.
He said the Prime Minister had also set up the East Coast Security Zone (ESSZone) against terrorist threats and the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) in dealing with the problem of illegal immigrants in the state.
He said the people’s needs had never been ignored by the current federal government.
Pairin, who is also the Keningau member of parliament, said Sabah still needed a lot of development, especially infrastructure facilities such as the upgrading of roads, and water and electricity in rural areas.
During the ceremony, he also presented angpows to seven Chinese associations and seven SKJCs including Chinese kindergartens, each receiving RM1,000 from the Keningau parliamentary constituency.
Also present were the political secretary to the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water Datuk Daniel Kinsik, District Officer Haji Yusop Haji Osman, Keningau Upko chief Datuk Justin Guka, Keningau Umno Youth chief Nik Nazri Nik Zawawi, PBS deputy president Senator Datuk Hajah Jamilah Sulaiman, Keningau Umno deputy head Datuk Annuar Ayub Aman, president of Keningau Chinese Chamber of Commerce Raymond Koh, government officials and community leaders.
Earlier in the morning, Pairin and Barisan Nasional (BN) component leaders conducted a CNY walkabout around Keningau Town.
Pairin also described the walkabout program as a platform in uniting the nation, regardless of race and religion, as well as approaching the problems faced by traders.