Be wary of pseudo champions, warns Awang Tengah

MIRI: The Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan cautioned the people of pseudo champions who are all out to discredit the government as if they themselves are perfect.He said it was a normal phenomenon especially when the state general election was near and that there would be many more such pseudo champions including individuals, organisations and political parties coming to the state.
“With the impending state election which could be held anytime before the term of the current legislative assembly expires in July next year, the people could expect many people who claim they will do a lot for the people should they be voted into power.

“The people must be wise and ask the pseudo champions what good things or projects have they implemented for the people over the years. Don’t be easily influenced. Continue working closely with the government, the best formula so far that enables the country to progress,” he said.

Tengah, who is also vice president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), said this yesterday during a meet-the-people session at Kampong Rancah-Rancah, Bekenu which was officiated by Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.

Tengah pointed out that Shafie was among the many committed elected Barisan Nasional representatives who travelled widely in Malaysia to carry out his duties and obtain first hand information on the development required by the rural communities.

“Datuk Seri Shafie had managed to convince the Prime Minister to allocate a big chunk of funds for rural development in Sarawak and Sabah with Sarawak having the biggest – RM5 billion ringgit under NKRA,” he pointed out.

The big allocation for rural roads, electricity and water supply as well as houses for the hardcore poor showed that the government was committed to live up to the 1Malaysia concept and ensure that Sarawak would not lag behind other states.

Earlier in her speech, Bekenu assemblywoman Rosey Yunus urged the government to look into ways to alleviate the hardship faced by villagers in her constituency including in Kampong Rancah-Rancah.

At Kampong Rancah-Rancah alone, she said, the villagers had to bear with the problem of frequent flooding due to the poor drainage system that cause tide water to submerge the village road, adding that the road and bridge too needed to be upgraded.

Also urgently needed were the construction of a football field and twelve units of houses for the hardcore poor in the village, she said.

At the function, Shafie approved RM50,000 for the village football field, ten units of houses under Program Perumahan Rakyat Termiskin (PPRT) and drainage project.

Kampong Rancah-Rancah village headman Penghulu Kipli Ali when interviewed by The Borneo Post thanked the government for approving the projects and was confident that the projects would greatly improve their quality of life.

“The improvement of the drains and the road in particular are very timely. The 240 villagers here are living in fear of crocodiles which were frequently spotted near their houses especially during high tide,” he said.



August 8, 2010, Sunday