Kiulu people left behind claim
KIULU: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is of the opinion that the people of Kiulu are still poor and suffering even after more than half a century of Malaysia.
Its Tuaran information chief Richard Libun Adou said he was sad that when going around the area he saw so many of his people living in deplorable conditions.
“There are houses with badly leaking roofs and decrepit walls that they are not suitable for human occupation,” Adou said. “Out of sympathy I had to lend out a hand to help with my limited resources.”
Adou, who has been aggressively mobilising his party in Kiulu, has helped a number of families in small ways, including making contribution with materials to repair their old houses.
He said he offered a powered screw ground digger to help the people to plant fruit-tree seedlings and erect fence posts more speedily.
The machine can dig 400 holes in 20 hours, saving energy and time compared with conventional methods, he added.
“To use this machine I only charge a token rental of RM2 per day,” said Adou, who is a businessman and a graduate of the Asian Institute of Management.
“All the time I try to think of more ways to lighten my folks’ problems. However, what they really need are more government assistance and incentives to change their lives by raising their productivity and income.
“I don’t understand why the area has been neglected so badly. Even with assemblymen who were full ministers in the past, Kiulu failed to get a quantum leap in development. We don’t even have a decent township,” he said.
“The people suffered especially badly with the decline of the rubber industry, which forced people to emigrate from Kiulu for greener pastures in other parts of Sabah.
“Because of all these PKR is contesting to wrest the area from the BN to give the people another leadership alternative. Anything can happen in the coming GE14. Let’s not forget that in the GE13 the Barisan Nasional won Kiulu on a very narrow margin of only 44 votes,” he said.
Meanwhile, a PKR member from the area, Maurine Sinit, voiced her unhappiness that the state PKR leadership overlooked the need to make an aggressive counter-presence during the recent visit of the Prime Minister to Kiulu.
“There should have been banners and hundreds of PKR flags flying in the area then,” Sinit said.
“But unfortunately the state PKR leader, Christina Liew, did not think it necessary to demonstrate the party’s influence during that important occasion.
“It was fortunate that Richard Libun Adou our information chief, took the initiative to put up the party banners during that visit. Richard, who is a native of the area, has been a very active leader since he was the regional co-ordinator and vice president of the KDCA at one time.”