Published on: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 |
Kota Kinabalu: Both Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sabah have questioned the sincerity of Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok's claim that he had no knowledge of the proposed RM2.8 billion Kaiduan Dam mega project.
They said it was unbelievable that the grassroots were more aware of what was going on in their areas instead of the Upko elected representatives there.
SAPP Youth Chief, Edward Dagul, said in a statement that this was both distressing and unbelievable, pointing out it was impossible for both the Panampang MP and the Moyog Assemblyman (Donald Mojuntin) to be completely in the dark over a project of such magnitude.
"Are we to understand that the affected villagers knew this much earlier than their wakil rakyat (elected representative)?
"As reported, the villagers brought this issue to the attention of the media.
It was only when the villagers organised a demonstration that we heard of an appearance by the wakil rakyat.
"It is ironic that when it is for the YBs to speak for the people, in this particular case, the villagers speak for the YBs," he noted. Dompok, who is also Upko President, had said elected representatives in the district were never informed of the project.
Towards this end, Edward was perplexed how Upko could remain a force in the Federal Government despite the latter neglecting concerns and proposals raised by the party.
"Is this not a contradiction in stand? How can a senior politician heap praise on the Government which refuses to consult him as a Member of Parliament on the Kaiduan Dam?," he asked.
"We hope the Minister will not repeat the Kimanis Oil and Gas project cry-baby issue. Dompok was concerned and vocal on the issue but became pacified, content with the explanations given, much to the public's disbelief."
Meanwhile, Sabah PKR also said it was puzzled with the revelation that all elected representatives in Penampang constituency were unaware of the proposed dam and Water Treatment Plant.
Its Treasurer Dr Roland Chia said this proves either the elected representatives failed to go to the ground and listen to the people or were just playing dumb.
"They categorically denied knowing about the mega project and registered their ignorance of this controversial issue in public.
"This certainly does not augur well with the Prime Minister's 1Malaysia slogan that People Comes First and Performance Now," he said in a statement.
He said there seemed to be confusion among the BN elected representatives with regards to issues pertaining to development in Sabah, in this case the Kaiduan Dam.
Somehow and somewhere, there is a communication breakdown among the BN component parties in the administration of the state.
To make matters worse, he said none of the BN elected representatives were present during a dialogue with the villagers at Kampung Timpayasah despite being invited to do so.
Dr Roland said PKR Sabah was the only party that turned up, as "we believe in being there for the people to fight for their rights".
He said they travelled four hours due to bad road conditions to reach Timpayasah. "I believe if not the political pressure applied by us, the elected representatives and the BN Government would just sweep this issue under the carpet and force the villagers concerned to surrender their ancestral land and to be rendered homeless."
He said it was also very unfortunate the villagers were asked to come to the District Office to attend the meeting on Oct. 30. One villager, Louya Limpat, a 70-year-old lady told him it cost them at least RM60 for a return trip from Kampung Buayan to Donggongon town.
"This surely added to the financial hardship of those who had to travel to Donggongon for the meeting on Oct. 30," he said. Most of the villagers do not have much source of income and relied heavily on their cash crops to make ends meet.
He said the report by consultant engineering company, SMHB Sdn Bhd, that only 386 families from four villagers would be affected by the dam construction was also probably not true.
He believed SMHB had downplayed the numbers. "Whether it is 1,000 villagers or 50 villagers, 11 villages or four villagers, they are still human beings whose rights are being taken away," he said.
He said that 386 families translate to more than 1, 000 villagers if one family constitute five members per family.
In this respect, PKR Sabah wants the relevant authorities to relocate Kaiduan Dam to an area that would not affect the livelihood of the villagers.
Penampang leader namely Joe Bosuin, Ronny Ahanggai, Ricky Hee, Felix Hee, Felix, Henry and Chua Man Kui accompanied Dr Roland Chia during the trip to Timpayasah.
