Sabah rubber smallholders ignored
Published on: Thursday, November 14, 2019
By: Hayati Dzulkifli
KUALA LUMPUR: The Sabah Rubber Industry Board (SRIB) should be entitled to another funds to upgrade its basic infrastructures apart from receiving monsoon season aid together with Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda) under the 2020 National Budget.
Putatan MP Awang Husaini bin Datuk Sahari (pic), who made the call, said Risda has been allotted RM10 million for such purpose but none for SRIB.
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He thanked the Finance Ministry for allotting RM200 million meant for monsoon season assistance for Risda and SRIB to help the rubber planters who could not go out to tap rubber trees during the rainy season.
“However, I feel that SRIB need to be channelled with funds to further improve their basic infrastructures which Risda is getting for RM10 million because without good estate roads in SRIB areas, it would be difficult for the rubber smallholders to bring out their rubber crops.
“I was made to understand that SRIB was once been given Federal funds for RM25 million in 2012 to build infrastructure in the rubber estates. After that, such funds for SRIB did not exist anymore.
“Hence, I hope the Finance Ministry now would consider this application for SRIB to get similar funds as Risda for upgrading the basic infrastructures,” he said when debating the 2020 National Budget here, recently.
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On RM550 million fund as loans for replanting of oil palm with two per cent interest, Awang Husaini said he appealed to the Federal government for such loan for the Sabah and Sarawak smallholders to be extended for new planting of the oil palm and not only limited to replanting the commodity crop.
Among the reasons, he said because first, Sabah and Sarawak have vast lands that have yet to be explored and developed.
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“In comparison to the peninsula, almost all its lands have been used up either for agriculture or other type of developments and only need replanting of the crop to be carried out, unlike Sabah that still has many vast unexplored lands.
“Second, studies by experts also showed that lands in Sabah are very fertile in the world for oil palm plantation,” he said when commenting on the fourth strategy to develop the commodities.
On the 10th strategy for transportation, Awang Husaini said he thanked the Federal government for approving RM50 million to upgrade railway tracks in Tenom which is needed by the people.
At the same time, he said he hoped the Finance Ministry consider to approve upgrading the Tawau airport and Sandakan airport which are now busy and popular with arrival of foreign tourists, which has been proposed by the State government via the Chief Minister.
According to him, enhancing education development in his parliamentary is very much needed whereby a new secondary school, SMK Kem Lok Kawi must be built immediately to cater education needs of young generations to pursue their studies at secondary level.
This is because, he said there is insufficient number of secondary schools in Putatan while number of students enrolling is increasing from time to time.
He said he was pleased to note that a project to build the secondary school (SMK Kem Lok Kawi) is at final stage and has been included in the fourth rolling plan.
“I am also applying for a primary school to be built in my parliamentary constituency to address serious congestion of pupils in the schools due to insufficient of classrooms.
“Many schools have been borrowing classes from other schools because one school which is facing shortage of classrooms has no choice but to conduct the classes in other schools,”Awang Husaini said while adding that he also applied for an Islamic religious school (Sekolah Agama Rakyat) to be built using the Federal funds where he will provide a proper site for the school building.
He said Pulau Gaya, which is situated facing the Kota Kinabalu City, has no health clinic to accommodate 10,000 people residing in the island.
He was made to understand that identifying a site for the health clinic has been carried out and he hoped that such needed clinic would be provided for the islanders without any problems.
In developing fishery aspect in Putatan, Awang Husaini said Putatan is an area that is rich with marine produce and thus, he called for a retaining wall to be built and deepening the tributary of Putatan River could be approved so as to further facilitate the fishermen to land their catch up to a jetty.
“There are three operating velodromes in the peninsula and have successfully produced talented cyclists like Rosman Alwi and more. But there is none in the East Malaysia until now.There is no velodrome in Sabah and Sarawak.
“Therefore, I am applying to the government for a velodrome to be constructed in Sabah particular in Putatan which a proper site will be provided.
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