Gloomy Raya for many Sabah Muslims

Sabah's rich government with its Cabinet 'full of bloated leaders'
should have done something to address the state's poverty issues.

By Luke Rintod of FMT
KOTA KINABALU: Thousands of Muslims in oil and resource rich Sabah will greet Hari Raya today without clean drinking water, electricity, telephones and proper roads.

According to PKR, gloom permeates the state which houses Malaysia’s poorest of the poor.

Describing the pathetic conditions in Sabah, PKR vice president Tian Chua claimed he has seen poverty in many rural areas as well as on the fringe of many towns in the state.

Tian said there were so many unfortunate Sabahan families deprived of basic amenities like electricity, treated water, roads, transportation and a decent house.

“I have seen this condition in many places in Sabah myself.

“This not only can be seen in rural kampungs, islands and islets, seasides but within the vicinity of major Sabah towns and cities.

“In Kinabatangan, in Banggi, even in Kudat, Tuaran, Kota Belud, Semporna, Sandakan, Keningau, Ranau and Pensiangan.. these places are ripe with poverty-stricken families with very low public amenities but very high on unfulfilled political pledges,” said the Batu MP.

Tian said Hari Raya celebration would be much meaningful if the peoples’ conditions in Sabah are improved.

“How can Sabahans truly enjoy this celebration, when their houses have no basic utilities, or when the untarred roads continue bringing in dusts into their houses?” he said.

Bloated government

He said the one point PKR wished to drive home here during the celebration is that Sabahans must put an end to this neglecting policy.

“Enough is enough of this neglect policy… PKR shares the plights and worries of this unfortunate families in Sabah at this time of celebration.

“A rich government with  full of  bloated leaders, should have done something  to address this poverty issues afflicting thousands of Sabahan families.

“Employment is scarce in Sabah and the pay there is among the lowest in the country, making it harder to even survive on daily basis,” he said.

While adding that that PKR had plans to alleviate the situation in Sabah, he declined to give details.

“Let us talk more when the right time comes.

“But now on this occasion, PKR would like to remind the Sabah government and its federal counterpart that there are hundreds of thousands of Sabahan Muslims who will spend their Hari Raya in gloom,” he said in a statement issued in Kota Kinabalu in conjunction with Hari Raya.