The BN slogan 'Janji Ditepati' is wasted in Sabah where piped water is still a luxury.
RANAU:
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak frequently mentions “Janji Ditepati”
these days when he visits the rakyat but his “Promises Honoured” tagline
isn’t always true and four kampungs in the Umno-held Keranaan
constituency in Sabah can attest to that – they have no water supply!
Recently the villagers staged a peaceful protest of what they called
the ruling Barisan Nasional’s unfulfilled promises or “Janji Tak
Ditepati”.
And even as Najib shook hands with the people in Bongawan and Kota
Kinabalu during his visit last Saturday and declared BN had kept its
promises for 50 years, in Ranau some two hours from Kota Kinabalu,
villagers said they have never had piped water.
The kampung residents said the only water tank that was available to
them and which was used to store water from Mesilau river was now filled
with silt and knee-deep mud and rust.
A spokesman for the protesting villagers, Ly J Sya Welliam, said the
water tank could no longer store water and many of the 3,000 residents
in the four kampungs had always been without clean water.
“We
are forced to use rain water… some of us have to buy raw water and
bring it home every now and then for our domestic chores. Until when
must we wait for clean water supply? It is almost 50 years of
independence this month,” he said.
The four kampungs involved in the protest held at Kampung Kibbas roadside here were Paka 1, Koporingan, Purak Ogis and Kibbas.
They held their peaceful sit-in demonstration under the eyes of a group of policemen from the district police station.
They had earlier marched from Kibbas Siba carrying three big banners
and various placards that registered both their frustration and queries
to the government of the day.
Ineffective assemblyman
Meanwhile, a protester from Kampung Kibbas, John Gilong, 43, claimed
various efforts had been made to get Keranaan assemblyman, Masidi
Manjun, who is also Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, to
resolve their plight but these had failed so far.
“We
urge our assemblyman Masidi to come and resolve our problem of no water
supply… we are only a few kilometres from Ranau town but this problem
has been going on for years,” he said.
There are about 1,200 registered voters from the areas.
The State Reform Party (STAR) which has made inroads among the rural
folk is hoping the general discontent with the pace of development will
translate into votes for the opposition in the election.
Its Ranau chief, Jalibin Paidi, who was at the scene with the
protesters, said the BN government especially Masidi was obliged to
resolve the clean water supply problem to the four kampungs as the area
is not without natural raw water supply nearby.
“The least the ruling leaders could do is push for an immediate and
long-term solution. The situation right now is unacceptable as these
kampungs are near the town and many of the houses are near the main
road.
“STAR is sympathetic to their problems and we are trying our best to
get their voices and plight heard by the authorities,” he said.
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