Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Jeffrey Paints Bleak Scenario On Sabah

SABAH strongman Jeffrey Kitingan isn’t buying the increasingly shrill propaganda barrage emanating from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition… that the influx of foreign labour into Sabah provides the clearest proof that there’s continuing development in the state and that it isn’t the poorest in the country as depicted by recent figures.

It’s an issue being flogged to death by both sides of the political divide in Sabah and Sarawak.
Jeffrey surprisingly waxed more eloquently than usual late this week in the local media on a nightmare scenario in the state. He hesitated in the temptation, for once, to go as usual all over the place. The opposition, he hastened to add, wasn’t being blind to the reality and accused the state government of being in a state of denial on Sabah’s 'grinding poverty'.

He noted that jobless Sabahans, driven out by cheap foreign labour, are fleeing in ever increasing numbers to Brunei, Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia, among other places.

Meanwhile, their foreign replacements in the local job market abandon their employers not long after they arrive and often, even before or as soon as they do. They prefer to join other illegals in the state to do their own thing, including joining the underworld and underground economy, rather than put up with patently slave labour conditions.

In short, the foreign labour influx into Sabah is allegedly a thinly-disguised scam of sorts by desperate employers to dupe the authorities into compliance with short-term remedies.

And, there are also people smuggling and human trafficking going on under the guise of bringing in foreign labour.

The long-term answer lies in paying Sabahans a living wage to reduce reliance on foreign labour. However, employers are balking at paying even the minimum RM800 per month, far from being a living wage, announced recently for all workers in the state.

Patently, it’s a vicious cycle which sees the foreign poor entering the official statistics on poverty in the state as they continue, allegedly, to get their hands on MyKads by the backdoor.

Impoverished hordes

The Philippines and Indonesia in particular are seen as callously continuing to dump their impoverished hordes on the state by both the front and back doors. The World Bank itself, pointed out Jeffrey, cautioned in one study not so long ago that “Sabah was chasing its tail in poverty eradication given the influx of illegals and other foreigners”.

The message is implicit in the World Bank report cited by Jeffrey: Sabah has to better manage foreign labour influx to ensure that locals are not driven out of their jobs. Any foreign labour cannot be allowed to overstay and swell the number of illegals and the poor in the state. There must be better monitoring of the coastlines by the authorities for the influx of illegals and tighter rein on approving work permits. Obviously, all this will help mitigate the chasing of the tail scenario on poverty as painted by World Bank.

Jeffrey, the State Reform Party (STAR) chairman, doesn’t want to get into polemics with BN component parties on the poverty figures in the state. He thinks those interested can either Google the figures themselves or read the Hansard.

Still, he couldn’t resist making reference to a statement in the recent session of Parliament by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Mohd Nor Yakop, on the poverty situation in the state. Mohd Nor surprisingly disclosed that Nabawan, with a 70% poverty rate, was the poorest place in Malaysia. Pitas in northern Sabah, which hitherto had that dubious distinction, was close, having in fact suffered an increase in poverty.

Mohd Nor’s statement, according to Jeffrey, tallied with the contents of a World Bank Report released in December 2010 in Kota Kinabalu to the state government. The report confirmed that Sabah and Sarawak were the poorest and second poorest states, respectively, in Malaysia.

It appears that the World Bank Report was based on figures from the Economic Planning Unit (EPU), which reports to Mohd Nor, and the respective State Planning Units in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.

It would be surprising if the state governments concerned and the federal gvernment continue to be as candid in future with the World Bank on poverty figures.

Alternatively, the illegals with MyKads in Sabah are likely to be excluded in future figures on poverty in the state.

In that case, it would simply mean Sarawak would overtake Sabah as the poorest state in the country and the latter relegated to the category of second poorest.

Big picture

The political fallout from the World Bank Report 2010 continues to this day and isn’t likely to cease until the bank itself reports significant progress in Sabah and Sarawak on combating poverty.

Looking at the big picture, Jeffrey attributes the grinding poverty in Sabah to “internal colonisation policies being pursued in the state by Putrajaya”.

The continuing influx of illegals is only part of the story, according to Jeffrey.

He wants the state government to stand up to the bullying by the federal government and demand the return of the control of its oil and gas resources and, elsewhere, enter into negotiations for a fairer and more equitable revenue-sharing formula.

“It will be a pyrrhic victory if Petronas returns control over the oil and gas fields after they are depleted. This would be the Mother of All Theft,” Jeffrey warned in one statement in the local media. “We may be running out of time, perhaps 15 years at the most.”

Sabah, like Sarawak, belabours Jeffrey, are “Nations in Malaysia like Scotland in the United Kingdom”.

Hence, he sees no reason for Putrajaya to manage more than defence, foreign and national economic planning for Sabah and Sarawak. He wants the rest of the government’s work to be left to Sabah and Sarawak in line with their autonomy in Malaysia.

More money in the hands of Sabah and Sarawak, pleads Jeffrey, is the way forward in dealing with the grinding poverty in both states.

By : JOE FERNANDEZ (sabahkini)

86 comments:
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  1. Sabah adalah sebuah negeri paling pantas menunjukkan pertumbuhan di Malaysia walaupun KDNK nya pada 2010 hanya merekodkan 2.4 peratus sahaja.

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  2. Sabah merupakan penyumbang keenam terbesar kepada KDNK negara ini, namun KDNK per kapitanya adalah yang kelima terendah selepas Perak, Perlis, Kedah dan Kelantan. KDNK per kapita Sabah kini berada pada RM17,242, jelas lebih rendah daripada KDNK per kapita negara sebanyak RM27,113.

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  3. Usaha pembasmian kemiskinan yang dilaksanakan kerajaan di negeri ini berjaya mencapai matlamat apabila kadarnya menurun daripada 24.2 peratus pada 2004 kepada 19.7 peratus pada 2009.

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  4. penurunan tertinggi dicatatkan adalah di bahagian pedalaman iaitu sebanyak 15.8 peratus.

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  5. semua agensi kerajaan negeri dan Persekutuan meneruskan kerjasama mantap agar projek-projek pembangunan yang dirancang disiapkan mengikut jadual.

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  6. segala usaha untuk membasmi kemiskinan di negeri ini mampu mencapai objektifnya. pencapaian positif kerajaan dalam membasmi kemiskinan di negeri ini adalah hasil pelaksanaan projek pembangunan ekonomi dalam pelbagai sektor khususnya di luar bandar.

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  7. Antaranya, projek Mini Estet Sejahtera (Mesej), agropolitan, ladang Projek Perumahan Rakyat Termiskin (PPRT), 1Azam, Program Bantuan Rumah (PBR), Program Pembasmian Kemiskinan Bandar (PPKB) dan Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB). projek-projek berkenaan dilaksanakan membabitkan ketua isi rumah miskin tegar (KIRMT) dan ketua isi rumah miskin (KIRM) yang tersenarai dalam e-Kasih.

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  8. Setakat ini terdapat 29 buah Mesej sawit dan getah, akuakultur (enam), mikro pertanian (tujuh) dan Mesej Bersepadu pula dua telah diwujudkan di kawasan-kawasan miskin di seluruh negeri.

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  9. Daripada jumlah tersebut, sekurang-kurangnya 12 Mesej dan Mesej mikro (enam) telah siap sepenuhnya manakala empat Mesej baru sedang dalam proses pengukuran dan permohonan tanah untuk dilaksana bermula 2012.

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  10. jumlah keseluruhan rumah baru yang dibina sejak PBR bermula di negeri ini dua tahun lalu adalah sebanyak 7,149 buah. sejumlah RM115.64 juta diperuntukan menerusi RMK-9 kepada Sabah dan Sarawak bagi membiayai pelaksanaan projek yang boleh menjana pendapatan kumpulan sasar yang miskin.

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  11. Kah kah kah Desperate betul nampak !! Boleh blah lah. Semua orang kampong dah tahu. Hampir 50 tahun menipu rakyat!!Ingat rakyat sekarang mcm awal 2 pembentukan Malaysia dulu ke? Rakyat ramai yg kais pagi makan pg . Ptg dah tak dpt makan sebab tak ada benda nak mkn.

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  12. The Sabah Development Office has been asked to be creative and innovative in identifying the low income earners in the state so that assistance could be delivered.

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  13. the problem of low income families yet to be registered underthe e-Kasih programme was not only faced by the constituency, but everywhere else in Sabah.

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  14. Government go down and look for the poor people who need government assistance and if they are not registered under e-Kasih, we will help them fill up an application form, gather the necessary documents, get the related authorities to endorse it and send in their application

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  15. government through several of its ministries, such as the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development, Ministry of Women and Family Development has appropriate provisions to assist those interested in starting a business.

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  16. Usaha membasmi kemiskinan sedang giat di lakukan oleh kerajaan.

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  17. Rakyat juga perlu berusaha untuk menaik taraf hidup sendiri.

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  18. Banyak usaha kerajaan untuk mengurangkan kadar kemiskinan yang ada di Sabah.

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  19. Sesiapa yang layak untuk mendaftar e-kasih, jangan lupa untuk berbuat demikina, agar bantuan dapat di berikan.

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  20. Association of Chinese Chambers of Commerce Malaysia (ACCCIM) president Tan Sri William Cheng is impressed with the rapid economic development that has taken place in Sabah over the last couple of years.

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  21. Attributing the positive changes to the leadership of Musa, he said the current political stability, sound government policies and focused economic direction have led to the significant economic development in Sabah.

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  22. Musa said investors were attracted to doing business in Malaysia because of the conducive investors climate, good government policies and stable politics under the able leadership of Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak who strives to be fair to all communities regardless of race and religion.

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  23. The State Government strives to do the same for all Malaysians the state.

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  24. The BN government will continue and strive to meet the needs of the Chinese community in Sabah, adding that their continued support is important to the wellbeing of the state.

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  25. Musa said the Sabah Government valued the contributions made by the Chinese community in Sabah especially towards the economic development of the state.

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  26. The government both at the Federal and State level understands the needs of the Chinese community. They want opportunities for their businesses to flourish, theirsecurity assured, quality education for their children and their houses of worship continue to remain relevant, Musa said

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  27. Seriously speaking, this is invasion.

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  28. Well they are just jealous of BN. Nuff said.

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  29. Well they are just jealous of BN. Nuff said.

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  30. Is the opposition is keep pushing us apart?

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  31. And let me emphasize one thing, there is no free lunch in this world. If you work harder, you can get what you want.

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  32. There is nothing much on this news anymore.

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  33. Apa yang saya tahu adalah pembangkang hilang punca pendapatan ba ni.

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  34. Musa said the theme “Wanita Pencetus Ekonomi Baru” clearly reflected the high hopes of the government on women’s capability to contribute to the national economy and to make Malaysia a high-income nation by 2020.

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  35. Musa said various incentives had been introduced in the 2013 State Budget to benefit the women.

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  36. The State government, Musa said, has taken the initiative this year through the Community Development & Consumer Affair Ministry to set up taska at Wisma muis here for civil servants working nearby to send their children for day-care

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  37. A geothermal power plant costing about RM419 million is being built by Tawau Green Energy Sdn Bhd (TGE) at Apas Kiri , Tawau.

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  38. You don't need to look at him if you don't like him.

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  39. I was wondering too.

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  40. Without diligent effort, the attitude of wanting to try something new and the undaunting spirit of wanting to complete assignments to inculcate a culture of innovation in the state civil service will only look nice on paper, said Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Yahya Hussin.

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  41. Some RM2.4bil worth of investments, mostly in the oil and gas (O&G) sector, will be poured into this International Offshore Financial Centre (IOFC) over the next few years, resulting in the creation of more than 3,000 jobs, said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

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  42. The development of sizeable gas fields in deep waters off Labuan and the completion of the RM3.8bil Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal in Kimanis would catapult both areas into leading O&G hubs in the country and possibly in the region

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  43. Muhyiddin also said Johor would benefit from its proximity to Singapore which was facing near full-utilisation of its oil and gas storage facilities coupled with constraints from further expansion at a time when Asia's petroleum consumption was expected to grow by an additional 1.8 million barrels per day by 2020.

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  44. The Sabah Rubber Industry Board (SRIB) made a profit in excess of rm40 million last year.

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  45. The success came about after the State government took bold measures including restructuring the Board and strengthening its management.

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  46. The government also provided financial aid amounting torm60 million to help srib improve its performance. The years before 2011, srib was facing critical financial problem after having incurred millions of ringgit in losses due to poor planning.

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  47. Umno and Barisan Nasional’s dismal performance in the 2008 general election has taught the party a valuable lesson – never again to take lightly the people’s anger.

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  48. After 2008, Umno leaders went to great lengths to calm angry members and convince the Malays that they can still depend on the party to protect their interests.

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  49. Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan pernah ditegur kerana cuba mencampuri urusan parti politik lain sedangkan perjuangan politiknya sendiri belum “terurus”.

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  50. Kerajaan tidak gusar dengan serangan pemimpin STAR itu yang cuba memburuk-burukan kepemimpinan Barisan Nasional (BN)

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  51. DJK bebas berkata apa saja tentang Sabah BN kerana beliau sangat terdesak melakukan sesuatu untuk mengalihkan perhatian rakyat.

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  52. Dengan mengkritik kepimpinan BN Sabah, beliau menjangka rakyat Sabah akan lupa segala masalah dan kelemahan yang berlaku dalam STAR.

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  53. BN Sabah langsung tidak tergugat dengan kenyataan seorang pemimpin yang sudah ada legasi politik sendiri, termasuk sering ‘menukar baju’ (melompat parti.

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  54. DJK tidak layak bercakap mengenai urusan parti lain, terutama BN kerana beliau sendiri masih terumbang-ambing dalam menentukan halatuju politiknya.

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  55. Retorik politik DJK sudah ketinggalan zaman dan sudah ditolak rakyat. Sebagai seorang yang berpendidikan tinggi, Jeffrey sepatutnya memberitahu rakyat apakah agenda sebenar beliau untuk membela nasib rakyat, terutama sekali meningkatkan taraf penduduk luar bandar di Sabah.

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  56. Jeffrey Kitingan should mind his own party.

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  57. Sabah's bleak scenario is only a speculation, none of it is true.

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  58. Sabahans will make their choice and they will live with it.

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  59. Don't Jeffrey worry about us, we know what's best for Sabah.

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  60. Trust Sabahans to make the best decision for the future of the state.

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  61. Jeffrey mana ada agenda yang baik untuk Sabah, Jeffrey hanya mahu mendapatkan undian rakyat sahaja untuk mendapatkan kuasa.

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  62. Bukan sahaja ketinggalan zaman, tapi menjadi semakin tidak releven.

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  63. Bagus Jeffrey Kitingan bersara sajalah dari politik.

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  64. Biarlah orang baru yang mengambil alih, supaya pemikiran mereka lebih sesuai dengan zaman ini.

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  65. Apakah bukti kerajaan Sabah tidak membawa pembangunan dalam negeri?

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  66. Jangan fitnah saja tanpa bukti yang kukuh, kerajaan Sabah telah berusaha dalam membawa pembangunan.

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  67. Kata-kata Jeffrey ini tidak akan mengugat pemimpin BN yang telah berusaha melakukan yang terbaik kepada Sabah.

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  68. Sabah bukannya negeri yang termiskin dalam negara seperti apa yang didakwa, Terrengganu barulah negeri yang termiskin.

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  69. Kerajaan Sabah berkata mereka akan meneruskan usaha dalam membawa Sabah ke arah negeri berpendapatan tinggi.

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  70. Jeffrey rasa beliau boleh lakukan lebih baik berbanding Musa Aman? Tengok dululah.

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  71. Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman said the Barisan Nasional (BN) government would continue to make it a priority to fulfill its promises to the people and attend to their problems.

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  72. He said the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, was a clear example of this as he continuously meets the grassroots during walkabouts.

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  73. The leaders of the country are confident in meeting the people face-to-face because they can fulfill the promises made to the rakyat.

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  74. In this way, the people can air their problems directly so that the leaders can solve them immediately,” he said this when launching the Libaran Umno branch cluster meeting .

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  75. Musa said it was different from the opposition leaders who often made empty promises because they could not honour them.

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  76. He said they were more interested in getting the power to rule and not in defending the interests of the people as shown by what has happened in states controlled by the opposition.

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  77. Furthermore, he said if they were caught up with the issue of candidates, they would not be able to focus on serving the people.

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  78. “The choice of candidates in BN is determined by the leadership so let us all wait. What is important is for us to work harder to make sure the party remains strong and our party machinery is regularly updated.

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  79. “I believe the BN candidates who will be chosen are winnable candidates. So don’t think of personal interests but think of the party and serving the people,” he said.

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  80. He reminded members to always stay united especially at the grassroots level and to avoid trivial issues that can destroy the party’s strength.

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  81. “If there are problems, we should solve them amicably bearing in mind that we must not destroy party unity by exaggerating small issues.

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  82. Musa also stressed that Umno will be BN’s backbone and to work hard to assure the ruling government stayed in power in Sabah.

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  83. He said Umno and the component parties of BN will prove that BN is the best choice for the people through its continuous development programmes.

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  84. Musa expressed his confidence that Sabah will continue to grow especially in the rural areas due to the commitment of the government led by Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

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  85. He said the BN government ensured development for all irrespective of their faith and political ideologies.“That is the BN concept of serving the people.

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  86. The elected representatives of BN will always work hard to serve the people because they know they have been voted by the people and so it is their responsibility to serve them,” he added.

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