PKR contesting 15 seats; will be fielding 3 women
Published on: Thursday, April 19, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Sabah PKR) will be contesting six parliamentary seats and nine state seats in the coming 14th General Election.Sabah PKR Chief Christina Liew said the parliamentary seats are Putatan, Tuaran, Beaufort, Ranau, Pensiangan and Tawau. The state seats are Api Api, Moyog, Inanam, Tamparuli, Kuala Penyu, Matunggong, Kadamaian, Tempasuk and Karanaan."As of today, this is the outcome of our seat negotiation within Sabah Pakatan Harapan (comprising PKR, DAP and Amanah) and with Parti Warisan Sabah. We will release the names of candidates in a couple of days.
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One or two more seats have yet to be finalised. Hopefully, there will be additional seats for Sabah PKR," she told a press conference, Wednesday.According to Liew, who is the incumbent Api Api Assemblywoman, the list of candidates reflects a balanced composition comprising 50pc new faces. "The Muslim, Kadazan and Chinese communities are represented with three youths and three women. We (Sabah PKR) were supposed to have four women candidates but one has opted to join Parti Warisan Sabah."On the Reform agenda in Sabah, she said if re-elected and if Sabah Pakatan Harapan and Parti Warisan Sabah were given the mandate to form the new government, she would strive to fulfil at least four election pledges (out of 10 pledges as stated in the Pakatan Harapan Manifesto) within 100 days in Sabah. These are:
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- To defer the repayment by PTPTN (National Higher Education Fund Corporation) loanees if their salary is less than RM4,000 a month and to abolish the practice of blacklisting borrowers;- To stabilise the price of fuel and re-introduce targeted petrol subsidy;
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- To abolish the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and reduce the cost of living with a variety of "Care For Rakyat" initiatives; and- To set up a Special Cabinet Committee for the immediate restoration of Sabah's status and rights in accordance with the Malaysia Agreement 1963."We (Sabah PKR) have to work with a local party (Warisan) to ensure success of the reform agenda in Sabah. Together we are pushing for a change of government," said Liew who also expressed concern over the high cost of living in Sabah compared with peninsula where people are earning more than their counterparts here.Reporters were given copies of the Pakatan Harapan Manifesto which sets out 10 key pledges to be fulfilled within five years towards building the nation and meeting the people's aspirations.To promote the country's economy and level of competitiveness.To create one million new quality jobsTo build one million affordable homes for purchase and rent in the country (two terms)To provide free education for public institutions of higher learning (IPTA)To initiate reform of national institutionsTo cleanse the nation of the corruption scourgeTo bring about decentralisation of power from the Federal Government to Sabah and SarawakTo build a Malaysia that is inclusive, moderate and gloriousTo give priority to Malaysian workers and reduce two million foreign workers in stagesTo maintain 1Malaysia People's Aid (BRIM) for B40 Group (B40 refers to the bottom 40pc of households with a monthly income of RM3,000 and below). Towards this end, Liew, who is also Sabah Pakatan Harapan Chairperson, made it clear that the would-be new State Government would have to work together with the would-be new Federal Government in honouring the pledges made.On the proposed reform of national institutions, she meant the separation of powers (that is, the vesting of the legislative, executive and judiciary powers of government in separate bodies), "instead of allowing one man to control everything".At this juncture, she questioned why the perpetrators were charged with money-laundering (instead of corruption) in the infamous Sabah Watergate Scandal. "And what happened to the Sabah Railway case and the raid conducted at one hotel where a substantial amount of money was recovered? Nobody knows."If re-elected, Liew would do her utmost to ensure that at least one-third of the one million homes will be built in Sabah. "That will be more than 300,000. This is my promise," she said, adding she would look into the high prices of houses, which are making first-time housebuyers dig into their pockets. "As a Sabahan, I will fight very hard for the lowering of prices."If given the mandate, she said one of the first things she would do is strongly recommend to the new State Government to revamp the somewhat obsolete Sabah Land Ordinance 1939 as certain land issues are not being addressed."As a lawyer, I am very concerned for the land law in Sabah. Amendments done to the Ordinance on a piecemeal basis are not good enough. There is no specific clause to say that the developer must push for the issuance of the subsidiary title once the housing project is completed."What is stated in the Sales and Purchase Agreement (signed between the developer and the housebuyer) is the issuance of the Occupation Certificate (OC). Ideally, both the OC and the subsidiary title must be issued at the same time. This shortcoming has to be overcome. Take the Bundusan Apartments case where affected residents are without subsidiary titles for 18 years. They were only issued the OC 18 years ago. Eighteen years is way too long," Liew pointed out.The other infamous case involves Kepayan Ridge flats (Phases 18 and 19) where residents have been kept waiting for their strata titles for almost 30 years. "Believe it or not, six elections have come and gone but the problem remains unresolved." It was also revealed that three elections have come and gone, but owners of Sri Kepayan Apartments have yet to obtain their subsidiary titles.On protecting housebuyers' right to securing delivery of their property on time, she emphasised the need to spell out clearly in the Government's policy, what should be done in the event of a contractor abandoning his housing project affecting hundreds of people. "Would a new developer/contractor be appointed to continue the project? This aspect has to be stipulated in the housing policy."In 2013, Liew's proposal to amend the Sabah Land Ordinance to incorporate a clause pertaining to the issuance of subsidiary titles to housebuyers upon completion of the housing estate was rejected outright two days before the first sitting of the State Legislative Assembly following the 13th General Election. "I was very disappointed. I knew then that there was no way we (Sabah PKR) could do anything to effect change unless we change the government of the day."Meanwhile, Liew reiterated that if Sabah Pakatan Harapan, together with Warisan, were to form the new government, they would address the need for education and health ministerial portfolios for Sabah. "We think alike in this respect. Education is important for the people to get out of hard-core poverty. In my travels to the remote areas, I find that a segment of the populace has no direct access to health services. And I was very sad to see the deplorable condition of some rural roads, for example in Matunggong," she said.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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