A TALE OF A THORNY BUDGET !

Once upon a time there was in a small tropical nation, a ruler named Bijan. He wasn't particularly bright as a ruler, but he had a lot of distinguished advisors from the IMF and the World Bank to give him advice how to develop his country. In Bijan's country there were many nice fruit trees lining the paths leading to the fields where the people worked and to the rivers where they caught fish and bathed.

 

Patrol Boat Incident Poses Question over Naval Readiness to Protect Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: “The “lost and found” incident of the naval patrol boat CB204 clearly uncovers the non-readiness and unpreparedness of the Malaysian navy to protect Sabah and Sarawak in the event of any security threat.   It is a blessing in disguise and should serve as a wake-up call to the federal government to re-assess its commitment to protect Sabah and Sarawak” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief in commenting on the patrol boat incident which was found after some 30 hours of loss of contact and with its 7-man crew already starving.

How Many Of 2 Million Poor Households Are in Sabah?

Kota Kinabalu: “After a rosy announcement of an average Malaysian household income of RM5,900 per month, the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) of the Prime Minister’s Department drops a bombshell that there are 2 million or 28.7% of households earning less than RM3,000 per month. The question that begs an answer is how many of these 2 million households are in Sabah and Sarawak" said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, commenting on the announcement by the Minister in the PM’s Department on Tuesday.

Will Federal Flood Aid Come This Time?

Kota Kinabalu: “Having suffered in silence during the last December and this January devastating floods, Sabahans particularly in Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Papar and Tuaran, should open their eyes and see for themselves the treatment they will be getting or not getting for federal flood aid” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, commenting on whether there will be federal aid in the devastating floods that hit the 4 districts and closed 8 schools on Tuesday.

It is with deep regret that in the last floods, there were hardly any federal flood aid for the victims in Sabah. 

Build Tunnel Link to Tambunan and Interior

Kota Kinabalu: “It may be a bit late but the PM cum Finance Minister should make an effort to include in Budget 2015, a tunnel link to Tambunan and the Interior and the Sabah Chief Minister and JKR Sabah should make a concerted effort to plan and secure the necessary funds for the project” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief in commenting on latest landslide at Upper Moyog, Penampang, that disrupted and brought traffic to a standstill after heavy rains.