'Using illegals in demo unacceptable'
Published on: Monday, June 17, 2024
By: Agust Dean
Illegal water connections found at a main water supply pipe in Suang Parai.
Kota Kinabalu: Deputy Minister of Higher Education Datuk Mustapha Sakmud regrets that Universiti Malaysia Sabah students (UMS) who protested over their water problem last Friday resorted to using illegal immigrants to help their cause.
He said using non-citizens should not happen, adding he was surprised when the student leader said they were bringing stateless individuals to demonstrate on issues involving the people of Sabah.
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“I did not expect this because it involves our students. I explained earlier that you have to be rational about this issue.
“We are not stopping them (students) from demonstrating but, from the beginning I explained that they have to get a permit and demonstrate peacefully and rationally.
“But what they did was bring in non-citizens to increase their numbers,” he told a press conference in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of Keadilan and the Kaamatan Festival, here, Sunday.
Mustapha, who is also a Member of Parliament for Sepanggar, reminded the public not to involve non-citizens on issues involving the rights and responsibilities of the people of Sabah.
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He also rejected any attempt by non-governmental organizations and any political party to involve non-citizens in their struggle. He said Sabahans should reject these parties in the next election.
He said the students involved need to be responsible for their actions should the authorities take action.
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“We issued a warning in advance, I leave it to the police,” he said. On Friday, about 80 people representing the UMS Student Voice and NGO representatives held a peaceful rally in front of Menara Kinabalu to submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister on the water problem in UMS and Sabah.
On the same day, Kota Kinabalu District Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner Kasim Muda confirmed the arrest of nine individuals who had no documents being with the protestors.
The protesters marched about 3km from UMS to Menara Kinabalu to deliver the memorandum that highlighted UMS’s water woes.
The students refused to budge without Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor receiving the document and spent about 17 hours camped outside Menara Kinabalu until Saturday morning before dispersing.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Shahelmey Yahya branded the students as “immature” after they refused his request to hand over the memorandum to him instead.
Meanwhile, the Water Department began dismantling 24 illegal water connections in Kg Suang Parai in Sepanggar, Sunday, after these were identified to be among factors behind the persistent water problem faced by UMS students.
Deputy Chief Minister and Public Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya said the water was being tapped by certain quarters from its main transmission line.
“These illegal connections contribute to the reduced water volume entering the main reservoir at UMS, a concerning issue that the authorities are actively addressing,” he said.
He said to mitigate the problem, the Water Department has implemented constant monitoring measures until a vendor scheme is fully operational in identified areas susceptible to such unauthorised activities.
A group of UMS students and members of non-governmental organizations staged a peaceful demonstration on Friday over the prolonged water supply disruptions not only at the university but many parts of the state.
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