MEMBAKUT: Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) by-election candidate Datuk Karim Bujang hopes to see a small gas refinery be set up in Kimanis constituency to provide job opportunities to the local community.
Karim, who is Kimanis Warisan division chief, said the Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal (SOGT) in Kimanis still has leftover gas that can be processed in the state itself.
“The terminal channels a huge amount of gas to Bintulu in Sarawak to be processed. Some are bought directly by IPPs (independent power producers).
“There are still leftover (of gas) that are not sent to Bintulu. Maybe, we (Warisan-led state government) can negotiate with Petronas to set up a gas processing plant in Kimanis.
“This will open more job opportunities for Sabah people, especially in the west coast. At the moment, the number of locals working in the oil and gas field is small,” he told reporters when met during his campaign walkabout at the Sunday market, here.
Karim was responding to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal's suggestion to stop sending gas to Sarawak for processing.
Earlier, the former five-term Bongawan assemblyman greeted marketgoers, passing messages for them to support his candidacy for the Kimanis parliamentary by-election on Jan 18.
“This is a ‘relax’ activity for me to get closer to the people. I want to tell them to be wise in making a decision and support the governing party (Warisan) to ensure that the future of the Kimanis constituency is taken care of.
“I sacrifice myself for this job. I'm not doing this for publicity or name. As I meet the people, I listen to their woes and I see a lot of things need to be improved and implemented.
“Amenities are still lacking in the town’s business area. So, we take note but I can't promise the moon, the star and the sun,” he said.
Asked about his view on the one-on-one battle with Barisan Nasional (BN), Karim said the power is with the people to decide regardless of how many multi-cornered fights there are in any election.
Karim is facing his opponent Datuk Mohamad Alamin who’s attempting to capture the BN's traditional seat for the second time.