"There are a lot of temptations," he said, adding he has been so long in the political arena to really know all that. He do not wish to see three or four months or a year from now, they will be driving a brand new vehicle and live in a big new home luxuriously.

"The problems faced by the people are many, there are those who are in need of a job and there are those who are still living in great hardship...we must work for these people, not for the taukes or lands or new Ninja Turtles or new home or a luxurious life.

"Your post is called the People Development Leader, so you should lead the people and not leading your Ninja Turtles, leading lands, leading new homes, and so on," he said at the swearing-in and presentation of appointment letters to the newly-appointed PMM at the Sabah State Administration Centre (pic).

He said the PPM is a representative of the whole community. "The community that we lead are not just the Chinese, the Bisaya, the Orang Sungai, the Kedayan, the Kadazan, the Dusun, the Kimaragang or any other ethnic alone, but we are leading the community who are people of various different races, religions and political affiliations.

"As a leader, we must bring waves of change for the benefit of the people and Sabah, not for the benefit of just Parti Warisan Sabah or DAP or PKR or Upko or other party...what is important for all of us is the people of Sabah and the state. If we do not do this, we are not going to succeed in the next election.

"I am confident that if we have such a mentality of doing things just for Warisan, those in DAP, Upko and PKR will no longer support us in the end.

"If you just look after your own people who are in Warisan or your family members and only when the election time is near that you come to the others but to ask for help, they who you don't help when they come to you for help before will ask you back, saying 'when you were given a post you did not help us, but only now when the election is near you come and ask us for help," he said.

Mohd Shafie also advised the PPMs to foster good working relationship between each other, saying there should be no problem for a PPM of one area to work with or consult other PPM for the benefit of the people.

He also want the PPM to be bold to speak their mind to their respective elected representative if they may have differences in opinion or view on certain matters, because it is for the benefit of all.

"We must all learn from the mistakes by the previous governments and the many elected representatives before this," he said, adding the people today are smart and know to judge what is good for them and in vice versa.

He also reminded the PPMs that he will follow up on their progress through their monthly report submission. - Larry Ralon