KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Umno chairman Datuk Bung Moktar Radin has fired back at Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, accusing him of being disconnected from the harsh realities faced by the people due to infrastructure shortcomings.
Bung retorted to Hajiji's recent remarks labelling him as "outdated" and living in an "imaginary world," adding that the chief minister seemed oblivious to the plight of Sabahans.
"If I am accused of being 'outdated', perhaps the Chief Minister (Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor) is not aware of the people's suffering and what is happening in this state.
"Does the Chief Minister not realise that this state is dealing with a critical water crisis and that the Sabahans are complaining about the water supply that is often cut off for days? Are the people also outdated and live in their imaginary world?
"Does the Chief Minister not know that our electricity supply interruption is the highest in the country which is about 300 minutes for each user every year? Are the people also outdated that they don't know this data and just give up with continuous electricity supply interruptions?," he said.
Bung said this in response to Hajiji's recent statement saying that Bung was "outdated" and "lives in his own imaginary world" when claiming that the Sabah government had failed to bring development and progress to the state.
https://www.nst.com.my/news/politics/2024/04/1034256/hajiji-slams-oudate...
According to Bung, as the "wakil rakyat", he only tries his best to amplify the people's voices.
He recalled advocating for the accreditation of the Sabah Public Works Department to expedite development projects without bureaucratic delays.
Bung questioned the state government's proactive measures to alleviate poverty, emphasising the importance of education, healthcare, affordable housing, and basic infrastructure in poverty reduction.
He cautioned against relying solely on grandiose billboards promoting "Sabah Maju Jaya" (Prosperous Sabah) without tangible improvements in people's lives.
"So, am I 'outdated' and 'live in my imaginary world?"
Bung also asked what proactive measures were implemented to reduce poverty, especially in terms of people's access to education, health, affordable housing, quality basic infrastructures, and an increase in people's income.
These indicators were very important to ensure that people's suffering can be reduced drastically and also would systematically reduce the percentage of poverty in this state, he said.
"My advice to the Chief Minister is to realise that building many 'Sabah Maju Jaya' billboards throughout the state will not change the lives of the people."
Bung also questioned the state's progress on projects like the Tanjung Aru Eco Development Project, Papar Dam, KK Resort City, and Lok Kawi Resort City, which are supposed to be able to stimulate economic growth and provide jobs for people.
He criticised the Sabah Energy RoadMap for inadequate energy generation developments, especially concerning investments in the manufacturing industry.
"The amount of energy generation development is still insufficient to balance the investment potential in the state, especially those related to the manufacturing industry.
Bung deemed proposals like the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) as impractical, requiring additional infrastructure like solar panels or wind turbines, which he deemed redundant.