Don’t listen to people out to create discord — Yahya

KOTA KINABALU: Don't listen to outside voices that strive to create discord in the country, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin.

Yahya reminded that discords in countries such as Syria and Libya were due to outside interferences.

“Every day we hear of debates here and there ... in other countries fellow Muslims target each other and mosques are targeted,” he said.

He reminded the peace and harmony that the multi-racial community in Sabah are enjoying and urged that they be maintained.

“I always remind myself, here I can go to enjoy a bowl of mee sup and fear nothing,” he said.

Yahya added that the present government had a role in maintaining the peace and harmony that the people enjoyed today.

“There are no other government in the world that provides so much assistance to its people such as Malaysia. You look at our neigbouring country, they don't provide assistance such as boats for their fishermen, fertilisers for their farmers,” he said.

Yahya, who is also the Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, added people who were earning RM3,000 and below were also eligible to receive BR1M.

Yesterday, a total of 30 recipients from Tanjung Aru and 256 from Petagas were given the BR1M assistance.

Yahya said that in the entire Putatan parliamentary area, there were 2,000 recipients of the BR1M altogether.

“This is the first contribution. There will be another contribution,” he said.

He also said that those who did not receive the BR1M at the Dewan Sri Putatan yesterday would be paid via their respective banks.

In his speech, Yahya also spoke of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), stating that the issue was being manipulated by members of the opposition as the reasons why the prices of goods were going up.

“The GST is only six percent. Prior to the GST, we had the Sales and Services Tax which was between 10 percent and 12 percent. It was inconsistent,” he said.

He added that all countries in the world were charging GST, including Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines.

He also reminded that before this, irrespective of a person's salary amount, they had to pay income taxes.

“I was earning RM400 before and I was taxed,” he said.

Now, however, only those with income of RM5,000 above per month were taxed, he said.

Yahya also spoke of the Native Titled lands, saying that the tax for these had never been updated since it was introduced by the British back in the 1900.

Owners were merely charged 20 sen or 50 sen for their NT titled lands, he said.

Also present was Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, Datuk Edward Yong Oui Fah.