Not Sweet Enough

The announcements on sweets to Sabah on Saturday by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi were not up to the people's expectation, like the establishment of a high-powered Federal Cabinet committee to address the illegal immigrant problem in Sabah.

Such a committee does not have the legal power and cannot compel witnesses to provide the necessary information. It also does not have the power to prosecute the witnesses if they tell lies and hence no matter how high-powered the committee is, it will not be able to find a solution to the problem.

The reality is that the illegal immigrant issue is getting bigger by the day and the Government has no other choice but to form a committee that has the legal power.

The establishment of a Federal Cabinet committee as announced by the Prime Minister will only add to the people's perception that it is a mere eyewash. People of Sabah will only think this is just a lips service to keep Sabahan MP from jumping to opposition ship.

I don’t understand why it was so difficult for the Government to decide to form a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI). RCI is the best option because it has the power needed to solve the perennial problem in Sabah.

We actually have been calling for is for locals to be appointed as the Director of the State Immigration Department and the National Registration Department.

Only Sabahans would understand better the sentiments of the people and the situation in Sabah as the illegal immigrant issue was related to the issuance of birth certificates and MyKads through the back door.

Isn’t RCI the same committee as the one announced in 2000 chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and again announced in 2006, also chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister?

Why the Government wanted the committee to tackle specifically on the IMM13 holders or former Filipino refugees and not the holders of Project IC.

Sabah would be a major economic force in the country if plans to build the 300mw power plant by Petronas and Yayasan Sabah and the emphasis on downstream oil and gas industry with the proposed construction of a petrochemical plant in Kimanis materialised.

The announcement on the two projects by the Prime Minister brought much promise of a vibrant future for the people of Sabah, he said.

It said it would create substantial economic and industrial spin-offs by opening doors to business opportunities in the lucrative trade and providing employment opportunities.

the people of Sabah should also be thankful to the Prime Minister's announcement to cancel the 500km gas pipeline project from Kimanis to Bintulu, estimated to be worth about RM3 billion, as it would only benefit Sabah in the short term.

Had the pipeline project gone ahead it would have been awarded to non-Sabahan companies from India and Peninsular Malaysia, as (according to Petronas) no Sabah-owned company is qualified to do the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) works.

More importantly, the construction of the pipeline would have had a significant negative impact on the economy of Sabah in the long term.

The Kimanis Oil and Gas Terminal would have been merely a transit point for any oil and gas extracted from Sabah waters, with the crude oil being exported directly and the gas being channelled to Bintulu.

As a consequent, there would have been no significant economic spin-off for Sabah from this activity in Kimanis.

The abolishment of the State Federal Development Department (JPPS) was a direct answer to the popular request from the people.

However, the authorities concerned now tasked to implement Federal development projects should ensure that the delivery system is there.