The water supply initiative marked the launch of DAP’s volunteer-driven
‘Impian Sabah’ programme to assist those living in rural areas in
Sabah.
KOTA KINABALU: The picture said it all this week – a young village girl cupping her hands, trying to catch some jets of water shooting out of a plastic pipe.
Her joy was at the newly-installed gravity water system and the fact that it promises to provide some richly-desired respite to the people of her village, Kg Samparita Laut, near Kota Marudu.
Another remarkable thing about this long-delayed water supply is that the project was not government funded but rather undertaken by volunteers coming from as far as Peninsular Malaysia as well as opposition party members eager to walk the talk.
For now, DAP Sabah can claim boasting rights after fulfilling its promise to install gravity water pipes in the village that has been neglected by both the state and federal governments.
In a display of resourcefulness, ingenuity and shrewd political thinking, the water supply initiative marked the launch of the party’s ‘Impian Sabah’ programme to assist those living in rural areas in Sabah.
DAP Parliamentary leader and MP for Gelang Patah, Lim Kit Siang came down to do the honours at the launching and call attention to a similarly themed project launched in Sarawak recently.
Both initiatives undertaken by local volunteers and DAP members are aimed at uplifting the living standards of the rural villagers by upgrading basic infrastructure in these villages.
Speaking at the launching ceremony, Lim expressed regret that there were still many villages in the resource-rich state of Sabah which do not have access to clean water and electricity after 50 years since agreeing to join in the formation of Malaysia.
He said it was against the spirit of the pledge set in stone in Keningau as well as the Malaysia agreement and somewhere along the way the lines referring to the equal partnership made then had become blurred.
“The Barisan Nasional government despite being in power for half a decade, failed to put Sabah on par with Semenanjung,” he lamented.
It’s only the beginning
The opposition, he said, was now trying to set things right even though what DAP and the volunteers is now undertaking is really a job for the Barisan Nasional government and its agencies.
“Impian Sabah is just a beginning. There are many other people who live in the interior who still do not have access to electricity and water supply. Apart from that, their native lands were also grabbed by others,” said Lim.
He thanked the volunteers especially those who came all the way from Peninsular Malaysia to assist the project.
“They funded themselves and joined this project voluntarily. This reflects the spirit of real Malaysians where we help and respect each other,” he said.
Also present at the launching were DAP Sabah representatives including its chairman cum MP for Kota Kinabalu Jimmy Wong, Kepayan assemblyman Dr Edwin Bosi, Sandakan MP Stephen Wong Tien Fatt, Sri Tanjong assemblyman Chan Foong Hin, the assemblyman for Likas Junz Wong and MP for Batu Kawan from Pulau Pinang Kasthuri P Batto.
Wong in his speech lamented that inequality had grown in Sabah over the years and the state was still lagging behind in terms of development and infrastructure despite contributing greatly to the nation’s economy.
DAP, he said, was trying to redress this imbalance through its Impian Sabah programme which could ensure a certain degree of fairness to all groups especially the poor.
“The idea of Impian Sabah or Impian Malaysia is a programme to promote the spirit of helping each other, equality, and understanding among races,” he said and urged the public to volunteer for the “historic project which could help realise the dream of a better Sabah”.
Kg Samparita is one of the many villages in Sabah without water supply. It falls within the constituency of Federal Cabinet Minister Maximus Ongkili whose portfolio is Green Technology, Energy and Water.
Free Malaysia Today
Her joy was at the newly-installed gravity water system and the fact that it promises to provide some richly-desired respite to the people of her village, Kg Samparita Laut, near Kota Marudu.
Another remarkable thing about this long-delayed water supply is that the project was not government funded but rather undertaken by volunteers coming from as far as Peninsular Malaysia as well as opposition party members eager to walk the talk.
For now, DAP Sabah can claim boasting rights after fulfilling its promise to install gravity water pipes in the village that has been neglected by both the state and federal governments.
In a display of resourcefulness, ingenuity and shrewd political thinking, the water supply initiative marked the launch of the party’s ‘Impian Sabah’ programme to assist those living in rural areas in Sabah.
DAP Parliamentary leader and MP for Gelang Patah, Lim Kit Siang came down to do the honours at the launching and call attention to a similarly themed project launched in Sarawak recently.
Both initiatives undertaken by local volunteers and DAP members are aimed at uplifting the living standards of the rural villagers by upgrading basic infrastructure in these villages.
Speaking at the launching ceremony, Lim expressed regret that there were still many villages in the resource-rich state of Sabah which do not have access to clean water and electricity after 50 years since agreeing to join in the formation of Malaysia.
He said it was against the spirit of the pledge set in stone in Keningau as well as the Malaysia agreement and somewhere along the way the lines referring to the equal partnership made then had become blurred.
“The Barisan Nasional government despite being in power for half a decade, failed to put Sabah on par with Semenanjung,” he lamented.
It’s only the beginning
The opposition, he said, was now trying to set things right even though what DAP and the volunteers is now undertaking is really a job for the Barisan Nasional government and its agencies.
“Impian Sabah is just a beginning. There are many other people who live in the interior who still do not have access to electricity and water supply. Apart from that, their native lands were also grabbed by others,” said Lim.
He thanked the volunteers especially those who came all the way from Peninsular Malaysia to assist the project.
“They funded themselves and joined this project voluntarily. This reflects the spirit of real Malaysians where we help and respect each other,” he said.
Also present at the launching were DAP Sabah representatives including its chairman cum MP for Kota Kinabalu Jimmy Wong, Kepayan assemblyman Dr Edwin Bosi, Sandakan MP Stephen Wong Tien Fatt, Sri Tanjong assemblyman Chan Foong Hin, the assemblyman for Likas Junz Wong and MP for Batu Kawan from Pulau Pinang Kasthuri P Batto.
Wong in his speech lamented that inequality had grown in Sabah over the years and the state was still lagging behind in terms of development and infrastructure despite contributing greatly to the nation’s economy.
DAP, he said, was trying to redress this imbalance through its Impian Sabah programme which could ensure a certain degree of fairness to all groups especially the poor.
“The idea of Impian Sabah or Impian Malaysia is a programme to promote the spirit of helping each other, equality, and understanding among races,” he said and urged the public to volunteer for the “historic project which could help realise the dream of a better Sabah”.
Kg Samparita is one of the many villages in Sabah without water supply. It falls within the constituency of Federal Cabinet Minister Maximus Ongkili whose portfolio is Green Technology, Energy and Water.
Free Malaysia Today
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