Najib has not sidelined Sabah, says Sabri
Published on: Sunday, August 27, 2017
Lahad Datu: The appointment of six leaders from Sabah as ministers in the Federal Cabinet is proof that the government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak did not marginalise the state.Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob pointed out that it was only under Najib that Sabah had so many representatives in the Federal Cabinet."The Opposition's claim that Sabah has been sidelined by the federal cabinet is totally untrue.
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Throughout his leadership, Najib has always prioritised Sabah, including acknowledging the role of state leaders and implementing developments for the well-being of the people," he said when opening the Silam Umno Delegates Conference here. Also present was Silam division chief Datuk Mohd Yusof Afdal.The six Sabah representatives in the federal cabinet are Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman; Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili; Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Madius Tangau; Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak; and Datuk Seri Rahman Dahlan and Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, who are Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department. Ismail Sabri who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister said Najib visited Sabah the most number of times compared to other Prime Ministers before him.The government also allocated a substantial sum to Sabah for development, he said, citing as an example that 25 per cent of his ministry's RM5 billion in this year's budget was set aside for Sabah.
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"The Federal Government will continue to treat Sabah as a priority particularly in the aspect of development because it knows that a lot of areas in Sabah still require its attention," he said.Hence, he said, the people in Sabah must continue to support the government which has proven and has a good record in implementing developments for the state.
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Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri wants Umno members to strengthen their loyalty to the party over self and personal interest.He said loyalty to the party was an important factor in Umno's struggle and sustainability. He said Barisan Nasional component parties must not sabotage one another in the coming general election. They must work together to ensure victory of the coalition by giving their fullest support to the candidates, even though they may not be from their own party."For example, Tawau parliamentary seat and Sri Tanjong state seat are represented by the PBS and not Umno. But Umno members must work hard to ensure PBS wins them," he said.Ismail said in the same way, PBS and LDP must work hard to ensure victory for Umno candidates in a manner as if they are the ones contesting.In relation to this, the Rural and Regional Development Minister expressed confidence that the BN can win back the Sri Tanjong seat which is currently held by the DAP.But to ensure it can happen, he said the Chinese voters must change their way of thinking by choosing the BN.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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