Sunday May 11, 2008 MYT 7:50:48 PM
Deputy CM: Don't neglect Sabahans' issues
By LISA GOH
KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan has joined his fellow Sabahans in asking the Federal Government to attend to the problems of the people of Sabah, saying "it is the only sensible thing to do."
"I think what has happened in the last general election is something which tells the leaders and the Government that they cannot simply ignore issues which are brought up by the people.
"When you are bombarded with questions and given issues which are expected to be attended to, then I think the only sensible thing to do is to attend to them," he told the press prior to attending the 13th Lamai Kaamatan (Harvest Festival) here on Sunday.
He said this when asked to comment on former Deputy Plantation, Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Anifah Aman's (BN - Kimanis) comment in Parliament who likened the talk of Sabah MPs switching allegiances from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat to "moving house."
He was quoted as saying, "What's the point of moving to a terrace house if one is already living in a bungalow? However, for some of us, there seems to be no pleasure in living in this bungalow. What's the point of living in a bungalow if one has to sleep beside the toilet?
"Only a few groups living in the bungalow seem to enjoy the benefits," Anifah said. Pairin, who is also Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president, gave his own analogy, saying a patient who complains of pains in the body obviously expects his doctor to attend to his complaints.
Asked if the situation has been "painful" for Sabah MPs, he replied: "It has always been painful."
He added among the issues faced by the Sabah people were the presence of illegal immigrants and the question of oil royalty, both of which were not new.
"Of course, the Sabah people would like to see the oil royalty to be more than 5%. That is a fair request, one which the Government should make an effort to look into," he said.
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