SABAH OH SABAH…

MP: Sabah projects done poorly

KOTA KINABALU Nov 11, 2011: Tawau member of parliament Datuk Chua Soon Bui has expressed her disappointment with the substandard work done on many of the infrastructure development projects allocated to Sabah under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP).

Chua when debating the Prime Minister’S Department at committee stage in Parliament, pointed that the Auditor General’s report showed that Sabah had managed to spend 94.4 per cent, or the equivalent of RM6.02 billion out of the total budget of RM6.37 billion under the 9MP for more than 34,485 projects.

Sadly, many of the infrastructure projects had poor finishing, were not according to specifications as well as had their fixtures such as doors and drainage pipes broken before they could be used, she lamented.

“All these failures or substandard developments do not benefit the people and waste public funds,” the Sabah Progressive Party vice-president stressed.

She also said that some of the audited reports revealed that the

• RM83,839 agriculture tractor bought for Lahad Datu District Council since 2009 had never been used,
• the public toilets at Taman Aman 3 Lahad Datu which were built in August 2009 with an allocation of RM196,900 had their fixtures damaged and
• many wooden bridges repaired were not according to specifications in Semporna, thus endangering the public.

According to Chua, many projects under the Education Department on the

• building of teachers’ quarters, building or repairs of classrooms, were of low standards and
• the fans installed were not functioning.

“The most alarming finding was that many local councils had failed to submit their accounts for audit,” she stressed.

Chua also told the House that two marine boats,

• Kapal Jemalin M28-Kapal Pemaliman in Sandakan and Kapal Tarek M47 in Kota Kinabalu under the port authority had been not used since 2008 and 2009 respectively.
• “The supply of school uniforms, shoes, stationeries and milk was still not dispatched to school children in need.
• The stock piles were found in schools in Kota Kinabalu, Beaufort, Ranau etc.
• “Many state libraries have undespatched books and the mobile library buses are not functioning,” she said, adding that
• ICT facilities were also not implemented in many of the libraries.

She pointed out that audited reports in Tawau included findings that the council had failed to build enough car parks with 58 per cent of respondents very angry with the issue.

The report also identified the non-functioning second phase of the Tawau sewerage treatment plant and pump station which were completed on August 10, 2008 because Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd had failed to supply the required electricity, Chua said.

“All these reported audited accounts proved elements of corruption, misuse of public funds, wastage of taxpayers’ money, abuse of powers. It is seen to be getting worse in the departments and agencies in Sabah.

“What is the point of achieving NKRA on paper when there is so much corruption and abuses on the ground? I urge the Prime Minister to take actions against those who are involved and not to protect them.

“The people in Sabah are still suffering with the impending needs not delivered. I also urge the Prime Minister to monitor, to audit regularly internally for any irregularity before the annual audit,” she said.

Chua also sought clarification from the relevant minister on why 60 per cent of FELDA development in Peninsular Malaysia were for settlers but in Sabah, with a total area of 119,765 hectares, only 9,668.68 hectares are for settlers which is a mere eight per cent or 1,647 settlers.

“If FELDA’s mission is to help poor families, why is it not practised in Sabah?” she questioned, and was of the opinion that what had been done was double standard and had marginalized the needs of the poor in the rural areas of Sabah, being the poorest state in Malaysia.

“I urge the minister to explain to the people of Sabah whether FELDA has any plan to increase the participation of settlers in both Sahabat and Umas Umas in Sabah since the land in Sabah was given to FELDA on the principle of helping the rural poor.

“If yes, how many more will be targeted? If not, why? I also urge the minister to clarify the status of Kalabakan-FELDA; how many hectares were given by the state government, is it under FELDA Global Venture? How long is the land lease from the Sabah government to FELDA in Sabah?” Chua asked.

She also touched on the 824 disputed native customary rights (NCR) land cases in Sabah lodged with SUHAKAM, which, according to her, only a few cases had been solved.

Many of these cases, Chua stressed, were real cases but the provision in the state land code failed to protect them when their lands were alienated or sold to big companies.

“SUHAKAM seems to be at a dead end and I again urge the Prime Minister to give more executive rights to SUHAKAM so that their recommendations will target on the culprits and take actions against the guilty.

“I urge the ministry in his reply to me not to confuse the people with the new communal land with the NCR land, especially our land code allows natives to stay for their living at NCR land.

“I urge the ministry not to use communal land as a smoke screen as it can’t compensate for native losses of destroyed oil palm, burned houses, graves destroyed etc. I once again urge the Prime Minister to tackle this serious matter in Sabah and return the NCR rights to the natives in Sabah,” she said.