'Bumburing seeking cheap publicity'
Published on: Sunday, May 28, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: Upko Acting President Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau has taken the opposition to task for the baseless accusation that KDM leaders in Barisan Nasional (BN) are not standing up for the community in the State."I want to respond to the statement by PCS President Datuk Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing who specifically mentioned my name, accusing me as giving cold response to the plight of the villagers in Kampung Bebotong, Tongod whose houses were demolished by the Forestry Department," he said. Tangau, who is also Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, said Bumburing did not have a single clue on the issue."He is merely seeking cheap publicity to gain political mileage to paint the rosy picture that the opposition are heroes but they do not even have the solution.
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"For us (BN) we want to solve the problem and I myself have personally met with the community leaders of Kampung Bebotong on several occasions and they are actually satisfied with the guides that we have given them (to solve the problem)."So it is not true that we are not voicing out the people's problem...we will voice out when needed," said Tangau when met by reporters at the Mukim Nabalu Harvest Festival celebration involving 11 villages at Pekan Nabalu, here, Saturday.Tangau, who is Tuaran MP, explained that the villagers were actually from Kiulu and Tamparuli who have settled at Kampung Bebotong more than 30 years ago."I am always kept in contact with them. In fact, one of them used to be my staff in the Cultural Board (when I was chairman)," he said, adding that all efforts have been made to find the solution because the area where they have settled was located inside the Pinangah Forest Reserve.
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According to him, among the proposed solutions was to alienate the village and this was being done through discussions with the authority, especially the Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.The Chief Minister, he reiterated, had agreed in principle that it was important for the size of the land the villagers have actually been occupying to be identified and this should be done by the villagers themselves.
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"We have assisted them by giving the GPS surveying tools to measure the size of the land them. We also have to teach them how to use the equipment. For everyone's information, the land surveying exercise has just been completed yesterday (Friday). Of course it took time but it is a win-win solution for everybody."So we are in the position to resolve the problem. The opposition, however, is merely seeking cheap publicity to show they are heroes but they cannot solve it. Our intention is to bring development and facility to the people, what more those related to the (KDM) community. "By saying we didn't do anything, it showed Bumburing is the one not in communication with the Bebotong people because surely the people would have informed him what I have done thus far," he said.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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