Poverty behind use of muddy water: DAP
Published on: Friday, May 15, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: The villagers in Matunggong are forced to use muddy water from the drying river out of poverty and not because of insufficient water supply as alleged by Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) Secretary Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan."The villagers are too poor and cannot afford to pay the cost for the water supply connection. This is the real scenario," said Sabah Democratic Action Party (DAP) Deputy Chairman Stephen Wong (pic) in a statement.On Wednesday, Rahman said DAP should be blamed for the water supply problem in the State following objections to the construction of proposed dams and thus, preventing the government from implementing its measures to increase water supply.
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Wong said Rahman is inconsiderate and shameless in trying to point fingers at the opposition but not admit to the government's mistakes."He is merely playing cheap political games at the expense of the villagers," he said.He added that the government had proudly claimed its 'success' in bringing down the poverty rate in Sabah from 19.7 per cent in 2009 to 8.1 per cent in 2012 but the figure did not reflect the real situation on the ground."Through our own experience in rural areas such as in Kg Samparita Laut, Kota Marudu and Kg Pangi, Tenom, these villages did not have access to water and electricity until our Impian Sabah team came in and launched community projects to install gravity water pipes.
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"I believe there are still many villages like these out there which do not have access to basic infrastructure," he said.Wong said DAP will always stand behind Sabahans and fight for equality for all. Basic infrastructure, especially, is a fundamental right for all citizens.
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"Why are there still many people out there who do not have these after 52 years in Malaysia? It is unfair and it violates the basic rights of the people of Sabah and Malaysia," he said.He also made it clear that DAP does not reject the construction of dams for the sake of rejecting them but because there is a need to seek holistic plans which would not sacrifice native lands for the sake of development.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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