PKR fires another salvo at Ongkili

Sabah PKR has slammed federal minister Maximus Ongkili
for 'giving excuses' and shirking his responsibilities
to the 2,000 hardcore poor in his Kota Marudu
constituency.

KOTA KINABALU: PKR leader Christina Liew unleashed another salvo at Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Maximus Ongkili for giving excuses for being unable to wipe out poverty in his constituency.

The PKR leader said with his attitude it was no surprise that Kota Marudu remains the poorest constituency in Sabah.

In a hard-hitting statement yesterday, Liew, an the activist lawyer, said Ongkili had claimed that it takes time to improve the lives of poverty-stricken families in his constituency.

However, she asked: “How long more (do) his constituents need to wait… they are living in huts like chicken coops, until the Prime Minister’s wife (Rosmah Mansor) was shocked to see the level of poverty in Sabah and donated RM2,500 to this poor widow with three young children last week.”

Liew was refering to destitute widow Rosnia Marambal, 36 and her three children who failed to get assistance under the “e-kasih programme” despite the authorities knowing of her condition.

Liew reminded Ongkili that he had no excuse for his slow approach to the problem as the World Bank had reported the abject poverty in the state last year.

“The question is, how come Sabah, after 48 years of independence within Malaysia, has become such a poverty-stricken state when we are so rich in natural resources?

“Ongkili challenged me to build another 1,800 houses for the hardcore poor families in Kota Marudu.

“Does this mean he is giving up his responsibility as the elected MP to look after the welfare of his constituents and just need to sit in his air-conditioned office in KL?” she asked.

She said that PKR and the Pakatan Rakyat coalition would certainly take up the challenge when they are in government.

“We pledge to set up a special task force to ensure that efforts to eradicate poverty reach its target within a set time when we are in government; these hardcore poor do not need to wait 48 years.

“There is no excuse to delay,” she added.

Hardcore poverty

Liew said that Sabahans, especially the natives, were suffering because of the empty promises of various Barisan Nasional (BN) governments to improve their livelihood in every election, but these promises were never honoured.

“I dare these elected representatives to show the people that BN has reduced the poverty rate by action, not by words only.

“Ongkili has been elected as the MP of Kota Marudu and appointed as a full minister for more than three terms.

“It is also a glaring fact that abject poverty is everywhere in Sabah as admitted by Ongkili himself…
“He can’t take care of the welfare of the 2,000 hardcore poor families in his constituency? Something is wrong somewhere,” she said.

Liew said that Ongkili should explain why the delivery system of the “e-kasih programme” is not reaching the poor and why he as MP was unaware of this until now.

She also asked if the BN government’s policy on poverty eradication was on the right track.

“It is up to Ongkili to explore the problems and rectify them instead of firing me for rendering a humble helping hand to this poor widow and her three children,” Liew said.