TAWAU: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition Apas candidate Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, condemned the spread of defamatory campaigns that smear personal reputations and ancestral backgrounds, describing them as inappropriate and inconsistent with the unity culture of the people of Sabah.
He also stated that the tactic of spreading hate-filled lies was a desperate move by opposition parties, suspected to be from outside Sabah, because they have no developmental issues to contest his track record of public service.
“I have instructed my lawyer to file a police report and take legal action against the defamatory content being spread on social media,” he said.
Nizam acknowledged that the political attacks against him were perplexing and disheartening, especially the falsehoods that sought to damage his relationship with a community.
He emphasised that he had never made the statements circulating on social media.
He pointed out that his approach has always been to foster close ties with all ethnic groups, and he has been a strong supporter of the Tawau International Cultural Festival (FKAT), which brings together various cultures.
“I urge voters to assess and reject leaders who are ‘acting smart’ even though they have only been in Apas for ‘a day or two,’ as such leaders will only bring chaos,” he said.
On his campaign, Nizam, who is also the Apas incumbent, expressed gratitude for the strong support from the people and hoped to increase his majority vote this time.
He added that the people can judge his commitment as a representative, having served the community consistently throughout his term, not just showing up every five years during elections.
“If given the mandate again, we will continue to maintain the harmony of the residents and extend the development agenda under the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Plan 1.0 to SMJ 2.0 for the benefit of all,” he said.
On the issue of urban poverty, he emphasised that it has always been a priority, including his efforts to secure the People’s Residency Programme (PRR), which has now replaced the People’s Housing Programme (PPR).
He said this initiative was especially important for Apas, which has many squatters and is frequently hit by fires that disrupt the lives of affected residents.
“I have submitted a proposal for a new housing project for the people in Apas, and I received positive feedback for the construction of 500 housing units under the 11th Malaysia Plan,” he said.
At the same time, he shared the success of having several settlements in Apas gazetted, including Kampung Pangkalan Inderasabah, which was recently gazetted.
