Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) wants the Federal Government to revive the Sabah Federal Development Department (JPPS) and Village Development and Security Committees (JKKKs) considering that the State Government is now in the opposition at Federal-level.
It also wants Federal allocations for constituencies held by all Warisan, DAP, PKR and Upko Members of Parliament in Sabah to be channelled through a Federal-appointed coordinating officer and for Sabah Bersatu leaders to be appointed in Federal government agencies and government-linked companies (GLCs) in the State.
Sabah Bersatu Chief Datuk Seri Haji Hajiji Haji Noor (pic) said these four matters were decided at their state leadership meeting at its headquarters in Alamesra, Wednesday, and would be brought to Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s attention.
“I will bring these up during a meeting with the Prime Minister in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow (March 12).
“This is our effort to ensure Sabah’s development will not be affected, following the Sabah Government’s stand to be an opposition,” he told a press conference after the meeting.
According to Hajiji, Sabah used to have a JPPS during the era of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) government, which ruled the State as an opposition after it pulled out of the then ruling Barisan Nasional coalition from 1990 to 1994.
JPPS is very important because it is the Federal instrument for supervising, monitoring and coordinating the distribution of Federal development allocations at State-level, he added.
“JPPS functions as representative of the Federal Government, the intermediary and bridge between the Federal and State, like has been created in Kelantan,” he said, while optimistic that through JPPS, the Federal Government can assist in developing Sabah, specifically rural areas which are still lagging behind, through the development allocation channelled to JPPS.
“We don’t want Sabah and people of the State to lose out and suffer from development allocation not arriving from the Federal Government because the Sabah Government is an opposition to the Federal Government,” said Hajiji, who is also Sulaman Assemblyman.
He said the Federal Government also needs to re-establish the Federal-funded JKKK in Sabah for monitoring the implementation of development projects at the grassroots-level.
Sabah presently has Village Community Management Councils (MPKKs) for which the power to appoint its chairmen lies under the State Government while the Federal Government provides the allocation for their allowances.
“It is a common practise for development allocation from the Federal Government not channelled directly to an opposition State Government and political party,” he said.
Warisan Sabah and its allies have maintained their support to former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the opposition bloc and not to Perikatan Nasional (PN) which is presently the Federal Government.
Hajiji also said Sabah Bersatu would support the effort to get back Sabah’s rights and interests as enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), saying the matter must not be put on the back burner just because of a change in government.
“(But) We also need to accept the fact that there are matters planned by the State Government, which involves the Federal Government, which cannot be done through the State Government anymore considering that they (State Government) are now an opposition...I think there will be changes in the implementation structure,” he said.
On the possibility of elected representatives in Sabah crossing over due to the changed political landscape, Hajiji said he had also heard of such rumours.
“The Semporna MP (CM datuk Shafie Apdal) was only worried his government would collapse.
“That is his opinion because if people jump (ship), he and his government will fall. We don’t know who will jump but there have been rumours; that’s what we’ve been hearing anyway,” he said.
