BETONG, Feb 21 – The people of Sarawak should give the highest mandate to the Barisan Nasional (BN) government under the leadership of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in the coming 13th General Election. Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud(Pic) said, by doing so they were showing their appreciation and gratitude to the prime minister for coming up with
various development programmes and assistance for their benefit.
He said this in his speech to welcome Najib when he arrived in Beladin, a rural fishing and farming town, about 60km from here for a brief visit today. Abdul Taib said Najib’s transformation programmes were examples of his sterling leadership which benefitted the country and the people.
“His rural transformation programme is specifically to raise the living standard of the rural people.
“This can be seen through the building of more basic infrastructure like roads, bringing in water and power supplies and giving the best education to the children,” he added.
He said the people would only be spoiling a good opportunity for a better life if they allowed the opposition to take over the government in the coming general election. The chief minister said, for instance in Beladin, a national opposition leader had teamed up with a foreign non-governmental organisation to instigate the people to reject oil palm cultivation on peat soil.
He said this would prevent the people from having income from their land as Beladin was located in a peat soil area. Earlier in her speech, Batang Lupar Member of Parliament Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim, who is also domestic trade, cooperative and consumerism deputy minister, said Najib’s visit had ushered in a new phase of development for the small rural town.
She said the government had, for instance implemented two water desalination treatment plants in the town and in Kampung Maro which cost RM1.5million each, to solve their freshwater supply woes.
“The government has also allocated RM1 million to buy and distribute 500 units of Jerrycan, a portable water filtering tank and RM500,000 under its Nadi Kasih programme to repair houses of the poor, while about 1,600 people here would receive the BR1M 2 financial aid, as well,” she added. Rohani expressed confidence the people would reciprocate by again returning Batang Lupar to the BN at the polls.
BERNAMA
