Challenge Datuk Musa Hassan To State When BN Will Resolve The 8 Major Issues To Save Sabah From Being The Most Undeveloped State, The Worst Place to Live In And Also The Most Dangerous State In Malaysia.

Media Statement

by Lim Guan Eng

(Kota Kinabalu, Sunday): DAP challenges Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman to state when BN will resolve the 8 major issues to save Sabah from being the most undeveloped state, the worst place to live and the most dangerous state in Malaysia. The following 8 facts based on the 9MP, are reasons why Sabah is the living nightmare for 3 million Sabahans in Malaysia as follows:-

1.      Sabah has the largest number of illegal immigrants and those with ICs fraudulently given ICs granted under “Project M” estimated at nearly 1 million. The extraordinary growth of the Sabah illegal immigrant population can be shown that in 1960, the Kadazandusun population was 168,000 and equaled the number of other Bumiputeras. In 2000, while the Kadazandusun population increased to 560,000, the population of other Bumiputeras had grown to 1.1 million;

2.      A high crime rate and one of the most dangerous place to live in Malaysia where police officers can not even protect themselves from criminals much less protect the public;

3.      Sabah is the least developed state in Malaysia, ranking last on the Development Composite Index (DCI) scoring 90 as compared to the highest of 109.6 of Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. Even Kelantan is ahead of Sabah with a DCI of 93.1.

4.      Sabah is the poorest state with the worst incidence of poverty at 23% in 2004 as compared to Sarawak’s 7.5% and Kelantan’s 10.6%. The incidence of poverty in Peninsular Malaysia is 3.6% and for the entire country 5.7%;

5.      Sabah has the highest income inequality between the rich and poor with a mean monthly household income of RM 2,487 ranking eight out of 14 states in Malaysia but the worst poverty levels at 23 %

6.      Sabah has also the highest population growth rate in the country at 3.1% as compared to the national average of 2.3%. Its population jumped by 530,000 or more than 20% in the space of 5 years from 2.6 million in 2000 to 3.13 million in 2005, mostly due to illegal immigrant from neighbouring countries fraudulently given identity cards. Malthusian theory has made it clear too big a population would result in greater scarcity of resources and less developme.;

7.      Sabah has the most frequent power supply breakdowns in the country with the System Average Interruption Duration Index(SAIDI) of 4,109 minutes per customer per year. In other words 4,109 minutes is lost from power interruptions in Sabah each year by every customer. Each user will face almost 3 days out of 365 days without power supply in Sabah earning SESB the description Sabah Energy Supply Breakdown company. 3 days is probably an underestimation as many Sabahans are so fed up as to have given up on reporting power breakdowns. This compares unfavourably with TNB’s 147 SAIDI or only 147 minutes lost per year in Peninsular Malaysia.

8.      Sabah has the second lowest water supply coverage of 75% throughout the state just ahead of the 70% water supply coverage in Kelantan.

The power struggle between Prime Minster Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi and his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has resulted in the people’s problems being neglected when each is fighting for political survival. In this battle for survival the people’s problems such as those in Sabah are forgotten, The people should know that only DAP is serious and committed in their problems and gaining their mandate not for power but to benefit the people.

(13/08/2006)