NO POLICE PERMIT NEEDED TO LAND HELICOPTER – UPKO

No police permit needed to land helicopter – UPKO

KOTA BELUD May 22, 2012: United Pasokmomogun KadazanDusun Murut Organization (UPKO) Kota Belud deputy chief Ewon Benedick said based on experience, there was no need to obtain police permission to land a helicopter that was transporting a minister.

“I was in communication with Datuk Herbert (Timbun Lagadan) and he explained that the pilot could not find a suitable landing point and that it needed police approval to land a minister who flew in by helicopter.

“I worked for a minister before, flew with him in his constituency but there was no police approval (needed) to land in the kampung he was visiting,” said Ewon.

“PBS Youth deputy chief Webley Disim is right in asking what I have done for my kampung. He can ask my fellow villagers about what I have done in my capacity, but if I was in Pairin’s position and capacity, I could have requested the pilot to land the helicopter and spend some time with the rakyat, verifying the information given to me,” said Ewon.

Ewon who is also UPKO Komulakan chief, was also of the opinion that the people in Kampung Kiau needed more than just statements from state leaders.

According to him those who were affected by the landslide two weeks ago needed more than just leaders playing their ministerial role during their time of need.

“Kiau folk have always been receptive and positive about government’s role and initiative to improvise the livelihood of rural community by providing them with facilities such as road, etc.

“But it is more than just a ministerial role when it comes to people’s needs and sensitivity in times where they need their leader. I was expressing the feeling of my fellow villagers when they read a statement by Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan that Kiau folk were not stranded as they could take Kaung-Lobong-lobong road, when in fact that road was not accessible by most cars at the time his statement was published,” he explained.

“If the road was accessible, then why was it not used by SESB to send in their equipment?” Ewon asked, adding that the disappointment was not only his, but also of fellow villagers who were of the opinion that Pairin could have spent time with them before issuing such a statement.

He claimed that Pairin’s statement put them in a dilemma as they were unsure whether to accept or reject the donations offered by volunteers, NGOs, churches and political parties.

He explained that he never questioned the role of the deputy chief minister cum minister of infrastructure regarding the Kiau landslide.

“We were just disappointed with what was published. According to Datuk Herbert, it was only half-truth published and taken out of context. I still kept his SMS. I expected him to reveal what was actually the content of Pairin’s press conference. Instead he went against somebody who expressed the feeling of the majority,” he added.

“Now, you are telling people not to build holiday homes along the foothills of Mount Kinabalu, implying a message for the villagers not to build houses in the kampung they live for generations,” Ewon said.

Ewon thanked his counterparts in PBS for defending Pairin, but stopped at saying that Pairin’s role goes beyond just a minister.

“We definitely appreciate whatever has been done by the deputy chief minister. After all roads, electricity, telephone and water supply are done, Upko Kiau together with all villagers would like to invite Pairin and Herbert for a thanksgiving mass,” he said in conclusion.