YB says Pairin should give up title
Published on: Friday, April 10, 2015
Penampang: Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan should give up his "Huguan Siou" (Paramount Leader) title since he has failed to play his role as the protector of the indigenous people in Sabah.Moyog assemblyman Terence Siambun, in making the call, said it would be the "most honourable thing" for Pairin to do because he had failed to protect the interest of the KadazanDusun communities in Sabah, and it was clearly depicted in the last general elections when even his constituents in Keningau and Tambunan outrightly rejected him."I will be calling for all the KDM (KadazanDusunMurut) districts in Sabah to show their sign of indignation towards Pairin as the failed Huguan Siou of the KadazanDusun by supporting the protest against the proposed Kaiduan Dam," said Siambun.ADVERTISEMENT He said villagers in the affected areas were disappointed with Pairin for insisting on pursuing with the proposed Kaiduan Dam here.Villagers from the affected areas in Kampung Terian and Buayan came in full force to show their protest recently, as a sign of solidarity on the matter.Siambun, who is also the Parti Keadilan Rakyat information chief, said during his recent visit to the two villages, the feedback from villagers showed that they were unhappy with the decision."Based on the latest information we received from them, they said that at least some 500 families from seven villagers would be affected by the dam project, instead of merely 110 families as claimed by Pairin.ADVERTISEMENT "The villagers made it very clear that they did not reject any development plan initiated by the state government, but such development should not be at the expense of the indigenous community who have been working on the affected lands for generations," Siambun said.He stressed that it was unfair for the Barisan Nasional-led state government to be more accommodating towards the illegal immigrants and "Project IC" holders in the state than the indigenous community living in the interiors of Sabah.
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"How could he (Pairin) say that the construction of the dam is a must so as to meet the needs of the people when he had yet to settle the large number of illegal immigrants in the west coast of Sabah? Or even the case of non-revenue water (NRW) or wastages in the state which is being considered as one of the highest in Malaysia?" he asked.Siambun reminded Pairin that as the Huguan Siou, he should play the role of a truly responsible leader who would endeavor and exhaust all available avenues in order to protect his own community."Pairin should firstly ensure that all steps have been taken to reduce or even to overcome the so-called future water shortage crisis before obstinately asking the peaceful KadazanDusun community in Kampung Terian and Kampung Buayan to give up their ancestral lands.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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"It disappoints them because there are many probable solutions which may defeat the necessity of having the Kaiduan Dam, but Pairin simply chooses to ignore them."I also find it to be ironic that despite the people of Penampang having worked very hard to ensure that he (Pairin) earns the status as the Huguan Siou of the KadazanDusun community, including my families and villagers in Kampung Tuavon, he has decided to turn his back against the very same district that have protected, supported and elevated him to the position he is now," Siambun revealed.