Rozman lauds appointment of Suhaili, Yussuf
Published on: Thursday, September 01, 2016
Labuan: Member of Parliament (MP) Datuk Rozman Isli welcomed the inclusion of former MPs Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman and Datuk Yussuf Mahal in the newly established task force to give input to transform the island's economy and solve various issues.He said sharing their experience would provide a useful guidance and help the task force to find quick solutions to the challenges facing the island.The task force was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi when he opened the Labuan Umno delegates meeting on Aug 21. Zahid himself is the task force's chairman.ADVERTISEMENT The appointment of two-term MP Suhaili, in particular, as a member of the task force is seen as an honour for local politicians and the people here.Local political pundits said Suhaili's appointment was a recognition of the latter's contribution to the island's development during his tenure as Labuan MP.However, Suhaili's appointment had sparked questions from the people on whether it was a sign that the latter would make a political comeback in Labuan.Commenting on this, Rozman said there was no basis to the perception that the appointment of Suhaili was a sign of him making a political comeback. ADVERTISEMENT "He (Suhaili) is not interested in making a political return because he knows Umno is grooming young and new leaders to continue as a team to push the island towards greater economic heights," he said.Rozman, who is also Labuan Umno Chairman and a member of the task force, said he viewed the appointments positively "because I have whispered a lot of good words about them to the Deputy Prime Minister when he was here to officiate the Umno delegates conference."
ADVERTISEMENT
He said the Deputy Prime Minister accepted the suggestion that a local team in the task force would be a voice from Labuan and Suhaili had made no indication to Rozman that he was keen on politics here.Rozman went on to say that compared to many districts, Labuan was a privileged area but yet faced many difficulties and the urgent business of the task force was to help revive the economy. He said the task force has expanded its attention to focus on improving the medical facilities on the island. The establishment of the task force followed a proposal by the Customs Department to impose curbs on the duty-free status of the island, which triggered a hug and cry. The Customs had planned to impose curbs on the sale of cigarettes, liquor and beer from Aug 1. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
However, following a protest led by Rozman and others, the decision was suspended till November 1.The task force would focus on several areas apart from the Customs proposal, including the gloom over the oil and gas sector, upgrading port management with a port authority, lowering the cost of living here, local contracts for local contractors and the status of UMS Labuan International Campus.