Rep wants land only for settlements
Published on: Sunday, March 10, 2019
By: Lagatah Toyos
TAWAU: Balung Assemblyman Datuk Osman Jamal (pic) wants all government land in his constituency to be meant solely for village reserves and forbidden to be applied by any individual or company.
He said this matter was raised during a Land Utilisation Committee meeting recently and was supported by all the other elected representatives in the district.
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“In the LUC meeting, we stressed that all government land in Balung cannot be applied for by any individual. They are only meant for villages. This was agreed by the elected representatives from Merotai, Tanjung Batu, Kalabakan and Tawau.
“It means government land can only be used for village reserves and for Bumiputera in view of the fact that the majority of illegal houses are occupied by them.
“We want to ensure that no more land can be approved for individuals or companies except for natives and Bumiputera who want to use them for their villages,” he said.
On another matter, Osman announced that a few development projects in his constituency have been approved and are now awaiting implementation by the government.
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The former Umno man who joined Parti Warisan less than a week ago promised he would pursue the projects and ensure they would get implemented either in this term or the next.
One of the projects is the construction of SMK Wakuba.
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“It’s already been approved and its site is currently being prepared,” he said. Site preparation is also ongoing for the construction of a religious school including a mini stadium, a fire station and a mosque which would be the biggest in Balung.
He believed all these projects would contribute to tourism development in his area.
He also revealed plans to deepen and widen rivers in Balung and will be engaging with the Drainage and Irrigation Department to get this included in its plans.
Meanwhile, the Tawau Umno Division criticised Osman for lack of concern over the fate and needs of the people he represented.
Its Acting Chief Ghazalie Ansing urged Osman to start doing his job as the people’s representative. “I visited several villages in the Balung area and have seen the problems faced by the people, especially the water problem in Kg Balung Kokos which is most critical.
“According to information from villagers, the water supply has been cut off since Tuesday,” he said, adding Osman should take the initiative to help the people.
Ghazalie, who is Umno Sabah Communications and Strategic Director, said Osman is now a government representative and should act promptly to resolve the people’s problems.
“He should give priority to solving problems faced by the people in his area rather than keeping busy changing political parties.
“If he is uncertain about what he has to do, he can contact me and I can give him suggestions,” said Ghazalie.
On March 4, Osman announced his exit from PKR which he joined in July, to be with Parti Warisan Sabah.
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