File photo

MIRI: Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department personnel arrested a couple and their friend for suspected drug abuse during a raid on a house in Kampung Pulau Melayu on Tuesday.

The couple – a widower, 46, and a widow, 31, – were found in a room at the widower’s family home with their 20-year-old male friend around 10am.

A search of the room found 16 tubes containing a crystalline substance, suspected to be syabu, inside plastic packaging on a chair.

The substance weighed 2.7g.

All three suspects later tested positive for methamphetamine use.

“Police are investigating the case under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for drug possession and Section 15(1)(a) of the same Act for drug abuse,” said Miri District deputy police chief Supt Stanley Jonathan Ringgit when contacted.

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) has opened up a new branch in Moyog, a constituency which is said to be the party’s stronghold.

According to PBS Moyog chief, John Masabal, the setting up of the Kuala Pangi branch with 90 members shows that the party is still relevant to the people in Sabah.

Masabal, in his speech, urged party members not to be easily swayed by the opposition’s propaganda as it is only aimed at confusing the people.

“The opposition is only interested in toppling the Barisan Nasional (BN) government and will go to any extent to take over the leadership of the country,” he said.

Masabal opined that while the BN government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is not 100 percent perfect, no government in the world can claim to be so.

“It is the best so far when compared to the one led by former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.”

He alleged that Sabah and Sarawak were left out of economic and infrastructure development in the past, but now, all this is different as not only are the two states enjoying more development, they also have more representation in the Federal cabinet.

Masabal said Najib is a Prime Minister who wanted to see problems in Sabah resolved and had, upon request of the state’s leaders and people, set up the Royal Commission of Inquiry on the presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah.

Masabal also took former Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal to task for allegedly not developing Sabah when he was a federal minister.

“In the past he did not speak about Malaysia Agreement 1963 but all of a sudden now he wants to be a hero of the issue,” he said of the Parti Warisan Sabah president.

“Now Mahathir and Shafie are in the opposition and we must remember that they did not care for Sabahans when they were in government,” he claimed.

PBS, Masabal said, had never lost when it contested in the Moyog state and Penampang parliament constituency.

“With this in mind, BN leadership should consider letting PBS contest in one of the three seats in Penampang as we can and are ready to deliver,” he said, adding that a victory for BN will ensure that the coalition continues to govern the country.

KOTA KINABALU: The Belt and Road Initiative advocated by Chinese President Xi Jinping will create more business opportunities for Sabah, particularly in bringing in increasing numbers of Chinese tourists and investors to the State.

Sabah United Chinese Chambers of Commerce (SUCCC) president Tan Sri Andrew Liew Sui Fatt said that the tourism industry in Sabah was thriving.

As such, he encouraged SUCCC members and the business community to venture into hotel development to cater for the market demand.

Liew said this after leading his committee members to pay a courtesy call on the Head of State, Tun Juhar Mahiruddin at Istana Negeri here yesterday. The purpose of the courtesy call was to introduce the new SUCCC leadership line-up to Juhar.

Liew said Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Haji Aman had recently met with the chairman of a tourism travel national cooperation in Beijing who promised to bring one million Chinese tourists to Sabah in the coming year.

Liew said the arrival of the one million tourists would certainly bring significant positive impact to the tourism and economy of the State.

He added that SUCCC would work closely with the State Government to attract more foreign investors, especially those from China, to Sabah.

On another note, Liew said, SUCCC and the United Sabah Chinese Communities Association of Kota Kinabalu (USCCAKK) led by Datuk Susan Wong, would be meeting with developer Arah Permai Sdn Bhd executive director, Datuk Francis Goh, next week to discuss the Wisma Tionghua Sabah project.

He hoped the joint venture project could be implemented as soon as possible.

Liew also said that the Wisma Tionghua Sabah development would benefit the tourism industry as the project included a hotel and shopping mall.

Also present were SUCCC deputy president, Datuk Ling Tiong Chai, vice presidents, Datuk Wong Kii Yii, and Guan Ka Hock @ Peter Gan.

KOTA KINABALU: Tapirs will be reintroduced to Sabah with the cooperation between Perhilitan Department and related agencies in the state, soon.

Akademi Sains Malaysia (ASM) academician Tan Sri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor said the state government had already agreed with the effort proposed by  Pencinta Alam Association but stated that a more in-depth discussion needed to be undertaken before the programme’s cooperation was implemented.

He said they were still in the process of acquiring monetary resources to implement the joint programme.

If the programme materialises, the Perhilitan Department in West Malaysia will hand over three to four tapirs to Sabah.

“Hence, more discussion must be undertaken to determine where and who will be responsible to look after the tapirs when they are brought here in Sabah,” he said.

He also said the joint programme could speedily materialise if the monetary allocation was available.

The programme is expected to start early next year.

Salleh said the proposal to reintroduce tapirs back to Sabah was presented to the state government two years ago.

He said tapirs existed in Sabah in the past but had become extinct.

Speaking at the Kinabalu public lecture held at Universiti Malaysia Sabah yesterday, Salleh also commented that he disagreed about forestry being a sunset industry.

“That’s the perception of people who lack understanding. People who think that we can chop down and not carry out replanting and misuse the forest,” he said.

He added that in principle, the forest was not a sunset industry but rather, a sunrise industry since the uses of wood were many.

He also noted that Sabah was good in her sustainable efforts.

“Sabah has Maliau Basin, Imbak Canyon and Danum Valley. And there are government bodies to look after the forest for the future generation,” he said, adding that this was something commendable, and that Sabah was leading the way for other states to emulate.

The leadership of the government can implement such forest sustainability programmes, he said.

He also said the environment was the responsibility of all.

“No one can get away with that. We must look after the environment ourselves, we must look after the forests, we must look after our sea and rivers for the future generation,” he said, and added that the duty was not the government’s duty alone.

“It’s a shared responsibility,” he said.

Meanwhile, UMS vice chancellor Professor Dr D Kamarudin D. Mudin said human resource, finance and the environment must be managed well to ensure the university would be sustainable.

He was represented by deputy vice chancellor (research and innovation) UMS Professor Dr Shahril Yusof.

KOTA KINABALU: The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Kota Kinabalu will work with the State Government to further enhance the Malaysia-China friendship, facilitate trade cooperation and promote exchanges between Sabah and China.

Its Consul General, Liang Caide said he was pleased to serve in Sabah, especially when the bilateral relation between Malaysia and China was currently at its best in history.

“To serve as the Consul General in Kota Kinabalu as the cooperation in various fields between Sabah and China has entered the fast lane is an honour and a heavy responsibility.

“There are so much that we can do,” Liang said in a press release issued on his courtesy call on the Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Haji Aman here on Tuesday.

Both Musa and Liang discussed about cooperation projects, tourism industry and establishing sister city ties in the meeting.

The Chinese consulate in its press release said Musa acknowledged the contributions of the consulate in promoting exchanges and cooperation in various sectors between Sabah and China and would continue to render his support to the consulate.

The Chinese consulate said Musa also welcomed Chinese corporations to invest in Sabah and hoped that the consulate would facilitate in bringing in more Chinese tourists to the State.

Musa also told Liang about his recent meeting with the chairman of a tourism travel national corporation in Beijing who would bring one million Chinese tourists to Sabah in the future.

Liang said the target could be easily achieved and therefore, he hoped that Sabah would further step up its tourism-related facilities and services and to ensure better security for tourists.

He added that Kota Kinabalu would soon sign an official agreement to establish sister city ties with Hangzhou.

(From left) Rogayah, Pauline, Soon Koh, Tiong, Mee Sing, Abdul Karim, Hii, Cheng Kiong and Chang Kee at the opening ceremony.

(From left) Tiong, Mee Sing, Hii, Rogayah, Abdul Karim, Soon Koh, Pauline, and Cheng Kiong.

SIBU: The state government is negotiating with AirAsia to have direct flights between Sibu and Kota Kinabalu.

Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, in revealing this, said he’s confident the direct flight would materialise.

“We are still in the process of negotiations. There are seven sectors in Sarawak being negotiated now with AirAsia and one of them is the Sibu-Kota Kinabalu sector.

“I am confident that by the time we end this negotiation, we would be able to secure the Sibu-Kota Kinabalu sector,” he said at the opening of Sibu Lantern Festival and 1Malaysia Food Fair at Sibu Town Square here Tuesday evening.

Since taking over stewardship of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports, he had been trying to get air connectivity, not just for Kuching, but also for other big towns in the state including Sibu.

He added that he would also look into the possibility of a Sibu–Singapore sector with direct flights in the near future.

“Just give me a little bit of time to do this. There are technicalities here and there that need to be sorted out; the government departments need to be approached, but at the end of the day, with the right approach, I am confident we will be able to bring all these flights to Sibu and other big towns in the state,” he said.

According to him, he had been able to secure the Senzhen – Kuching direct flight, which would commence this December.

“Probably the second flight from China to be introduced in the early part of next year will be the Fuzhou-Sarawak sector,” he said.

On the festival, he said it had become a celebration for all races in the state, and was capable of fostering good relationship.

“Lately, we were quite worried when we heard what was happening in Peninsular Malaysia, such as the laundry service issue where some outlets are open to only one category of people – Muslims and Malays.

“With this kind of looking at things, I believe we will not be able to bring Malaysia forward. Sarawakians are happy that things like that are not happening in the state.

“When it comes to Sarawak, we must try to foster good relationship, be tolerant, and understand each others’ customs and culture,” he said.

The lantern festival is jointly organised by Sibu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) and Sibu Municipal Council (SMC). It runs from Oct 3 to 26.

Minister of International Trade and E-Commerce Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, his wife Datin Sri Pauline Leong, Dudong assemblyman Datuk Tiong Thai King, his wife Datin Wong Mee Sing, Sibu Resident Hii Chang Kee, SMC deputy chairperson Rogayah Jamain, SCCCI president Dr Gregory Hii, organising chairman of Sibu Lantern Festival Datuk Lau Cheng Kiong, and Temenggong Dato Vincent Lau Lee Ming were also present at the function.

KOTA KINABALU: Kampung Tambisan could become the next major tourist destination in Sabah.

Tambisan Travel and Tours Sdn. Bhd. managing director Antin Ismail said the village in the interior of Lahad Datu boasts rich flora and fauna, which was what inspired him to promote localsˇ way of life and culture.

¨I think the activities carried out by locals in Kampung Tambisan can be developed into a tourism product.

¨With the involvement and positive acceptance of the community towards the importance of tourism, we have decided to help develop the industry in Kampung Tambisan,〃 he said in his opening address at the letter of intent signing between Tambisan Travel and Tours Sdn. Bhd. and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).

In addition to raising awareness on the role of tourism in preserving and conserving the environment, the collaboration is also to implement community-based tourism in Kampung Tambisan as well as to provide a guideline, he added.

UMS Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy Dean, Associate Professor Dr Raman Nordin, said community-based tourism was a form of sustainable tourism that could positively impact the lives of locals and improve socio-economy.

¨I believe with cooperation from the local community, Tambisan is able to succeed in the project and serve as an example to other community-based tourism models in other places,〃 he said.

Dr Raman also expressed hope for a stronger collaboration such as through a memorandum of understanding, so that all parties can benefit from the initiative.

KOTA KINABALU: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup has reassured the people that the National Harmony and Reconciliation Bill is still well alive.

It is understood that there had been three previous versions of the bill that had been rejected by the Cabinet.

“The previous bill was rejected by the government. There were three recommendations that were rejected before this,” Kurup said when met by reporters at the launching ceremony of the  Interfaith Integration Programme 2017 at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) yesterday.

A fourth bill will be introduced and it will be in the nature where, if a person insults a particular religion, that person will first be called for counseling.

However, if that person commits an offence that is against the law, stringent actions will be taken against him.

“We have to do it. I told them (parliament) to do it as soon as possible.

“It is still on. We did not shelve it. We will only be approaching it in a different way,” the Pensiangan MP stressed.

Commenting on why the three previous versions were rejected, Kurup said that it was because certain provisions in those bills had contradicted the Federal Constitution.

He disclosed that a thorough study had been conducted prior to the introduction of the fourth bill, adding that the main function of the bill was to ‘unite the people’ and not simply to ‘punish the people’.

When asked when the bill will eventually be tabled, Kurup said that he was not going to give any promises on the proposed date.

“I am not going to promise anything. If possible, we are going to table it with the next parliamentary session,” he added.

Kurup explained that, before the bill can even be brought to the Parliament, it must first be brought to various individuals for further consultation and more importantly it must first be brought to the cabinet.

“We are trying to push it,” he reiterated.

The bill, which aims to criminalize religious discrimination was proposed by the by the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) in 2014 to the government, along with two other bills.

However, nothing is yet to come out of the progress of the proposed bill, which had caused certain people to wonder whether the bill had actually been ‘shelved’.

The county is dire need of the bill as religious peace seems to be an issue among Malaysians as of late, especially in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor where the banning of alcohol festivals had caused fiascos.

The Interfaith Integration Programme is a three-day event which be held until October 7.

The first day of the programme featured a dialogue that comprised six panelists from different religions and moderated by Tan Sri Simon Sipaun.

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah’s (Warisan) door is still open for negotiation with other opposition parties in the coming general election, said its secretary general Loretto Padua Jr.

“But in the negotiation, the interest of Sabah must be taken care of.

“Warisan is created out of the demand of Sabahans.

“So we have to work for the Sabahans and let our president handle this matter,” he said in a press conference yesterday.

On Sabah Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) election manifesto to have a deputy prime minister to represent East Malaysia in the Federal Government, Loretto said a manifesto had to be realistic.

“I do not want to comment, I take it as a positive sign.

“They are our fellow opposition, they also want to topple BN and we respect their struggle.”

For Warisan, Loretto said a manifesto had to be realistic and not to make promises which were hard to realize.

Adding on, Central Wira chief Dato’ Mohd Azis bin Haji Jamman said Warisan would only discuss or negotiate with parties that were serious in toppling Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno.

He said PH’s manifesto to allocate the deputy prime minister’s post to Sabah or Sarawak was a good sign.

“It shows that even PH sees how important Sabah is in the formation of the Federal Government.

“For us in Sabah, it is time we have to trust Sabahans.”

He said the people of Sabah had to learn from history.

“Last time, Umno has promised a rotation system for the chief minister’s post (in Sabah) but that was scrapped later on.”

Similarly, Azis said PH could have scrapped the allocation of deputy prime minister’s post for East Malaysia when they grew stronger.

“It is time Sabahans trust Sabahans more.

“To put our hopes on Malayan parties again… we do not want to accuse, but we do not want to escape from a lion’s jaws just to enter into a dragon’s mouth.

“No one knows Sabah better than Sabahans,” he stressed.

KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has detained Parti Warisan Sabah vice president Peter Anthony in its investigation into alleged embezzlement of funds for rural development projects.

According to sources, the 46-year-old politician cum businessman was detained when he turned up to give his statement at MACC head office here at 6.40pm yesterday.

Anthony is expected to be taken to the Magistrate’s Court here for a remand order today.

A 52-year-old company director and a 40-year-old former senior civil servant were said to have also been detained in connection with the case.

MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad  said MACC had frozen RM179 million in bank accounts, including RM29 million yesterday, in connection with the case.

“Yesterday we have frozen more than RM150 million in the bank accounts in a recent Sabah case and I was told just now another RM29 million (in the bank accounts) had been frozen today,” he said yesterday when delivering his speech at the 9th International Conference on Financial Crime and Terrorism Financing in Kuala Lumpur.

On Wednesday,  MACC investigators swooped in on 15 locations in Sabah during an operation.

It is believed that Anthony was among several businessmen and contractors in Sabah who had obtained projects under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry.

He had reportedly denied making a false claim of over RM42 million for a work contract with Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).

The report said he had received a certificate confirming it had completed the contract from UMS in compliance with all stipulated rules and scope of work.

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) secretary-general Loretto Padua Jr reserves his comment on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) investigation into alleged embezzlement of a federal ministry.

“They did not mention the party’s name, so we cannot confirm if we are involved or not.

“They did not mention any leaders in the party, so we will take it as an allegation,” he said when asked about the matter in a press conference here yesterday.

Loretto said the party would focus on its work instead.

“Unless and until a name is mentioned, we will not comment. “We reserve our comment for now,” he said. — Bernama

Datuk Datu Nasrun Datu Mansur

KINABATANGAN: Nineteen sustainable palm oil clusters (SPOC), involving 1,040 individual smallholders and 4,127 hectares, have obtained the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification as of Sept 15, 2017.

Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Datu Nasrun Datu Mansur said the move was in line with the government’s decision to make the certification mandatory for smallholders and the plantation sector by Dec 31, 2019.

In the pursuit to help smallholders achieve the MSPO certification, the government had provided assistance in the form of training and also personal protection equipment, he added.

“The government is committed to help smallholders obtain the certification for sustainable palm oil production and to increase the production of fresh fruit bunches,” he told reporters after officiating the Tongod District Sustainable Oil Palm Planters Cooperative Weighing Centre yesterday.

Datu Nasrun said 5.74 million hectares of land was under oil palm cultivation in Malaysia with almost 40 per cent managed by smallholders.

He said about 958, 388 hectares of plantation land was managed by 241, 752 smallholders and their involvement in Good Agricultural Practices has not only benefited the nation’s economy but also uplifted the socio-economic status of rural communities.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah said the board was actively conducting briefings on the mandatory requirment for MSPO certification not only to create awareness among smallholders but to also increase oil palm output and simultaneously enhance smallholders’ income. — Bernama

The vice-president of Parti Warisan Sabah (left) and the company director are escorted by police after the remand order.

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah’s vice-president was one of the two persons who received a five-day remand order by the Magistrate’s Court here today which involves the alleged embezzlement of funds for rural development projects.

Magistrate Stephanie Sherron Abbie ordered the remand for the 46-year-old politician and a 52-year-old company director to facilitate investigations under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.

MACC investigating officer, Mohd Faliq Basirudin had applied for a seven-day remand but the court had granted five days instead.

The remand starts today to Oct 10 to facilitate the investigations under Section 17 (a) of the MACC Act 2009.

Counsels Loretto Padua, Martin Tommy and Azmie Alimat represented the politician while counsel Edward Paul represented the director.

SANDAKAN: An 18-year-old woman and four men aged 44 to 53 were arrested by police here on suspicion of drug trafficking.

The police also seized 640.1 grams of syabu worth about RM6,000, and the case will be investigated under Section 39(B) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries the death penalty if found guilty, as well as Section 15(1)(a) of the same act.

District police chief ACP Mohd Azhar Hamin said during a press conference at the police station here yesterday that all the suspects tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine.

According to the facts of the case, on October 4, around 10.30 pm, the suspects were caught at the ground floor of BDC shoplot, near here during Ops Sarang operation.

Police also found a total of 17 small plastic bags containing powder believed to be syabu and a small electronic scale, while around 5.1 grams of suspected syabu was found on a male suspect.

Three of the suspects did not possess self-identification document while two others, including the woman, were locals.

Meanwhile, Azhar revealed that the Sandakan police team had successfully solved 14 criminal cases from mid September until early October.

The cases include breaking into homes and stealing, motorcycle theft and robbery which were solved through Op Lejang, Op Cantas and other crime fighting operations.

“Forty-nine items were seized including stolen motorcycles, a vehicle and motorcycles used by the suspects to commit crime.

“Reported total loss from these cases is RM30,688 while the seized and recovered items total about RM77,200,” he said.

Azhar said that 18 suspects were arrested between the ages of 15 to 55, 14 of whom are locals and four illegal immigrants, with eight of them tested positive for Methampetamine.

“The success of solving these cases was achieved with the help of the public in supplying useful information to us.

“Sandakan is safe. However, I would like to remind the people to stay safe by taking extra safety measures such as adding a lock to the gate, because we see some of the cases were caused by victims who were careless, causing criminals to take advantage. One case even involved a motorcycle owner leaving his key at the motorcycle, and another case involved the victim leaving his gate unlocked, making it easy for the robber to enter his house.

“Although Sandakan is safe, I hope the public will be cautious and careful. Patrol teams in residential areas should also be initiated and activated to curb house breaking crimes,” he said.

KOTA KINABALU: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Abdul Rahman Datuk Haji Dahlan and Special Tasks Minister Datuk Teo Chee Kang are among seven recipients of Sabah’s highest state award, the Seri Panglima Darjah Kinabalu (SPDK) which carries the title ‘Datuk Seri Panglima’.

The other recipients of the award are Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Utama Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun, Jeneral Tan Sri  Raja Mohamed Noor, Datuk Haji Tuanku Balanggung @ Egbert Evaristus and Datuk Victor Subbrayan Paul.

There are 67 recipients for the second highest State award, the Panglima Gemilang Darjah Kinabalu (PGDK) which carries the title ‘Datuk’.

The recipients include Drainage and Irrigation Department director Yahiya Awang Kahar and Water Department director Wilis @ Mojiron Ansoi as well as UPKO Kuala Penyu assemblyman Limus Jury and MCA Luyang assemblyman Dr Hiew King Cheu.

Also receiving the PGDK award are Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) vice chancellor Professor Dr D. Kamarudin D. Mudin, Universiti Malaya academician Professor Dr Danny Wong Tze Ken and Sabah Lawn Bowl Association president Ladislaus Maluda.

The other recipients are Haji Abdul Manap Bin Lakariba, Abdul Razak Bin Harris, Ahmad @ Asmat Bin Nangka @ Nungka, Ahmad Bin Haji Awang Hashim, Alexander Lo Su Hyen, Anthony Linggian @ Chong Yuk Ken, Awadnir @ Mohd Aruddin Bin Matanggal, Haji Awabg Damit Bin Awang Anak, Catherine Mary Rose Sedomon, Chin Tet Fong, Dr Dayu Bin Sansalu, Dg Hajah Balbangsa Datu Haji Bachitiyal, Eddie Bin Abdullah, Hajah Ejungmah Binti Haji Latun @ Eyung Latun, Haji Hajam Bin Lajah Alam, Hanafi Bin Abdullah, Dato Harun Bin Ismail, Haji Hussain Bin Kasau, Idrus Bin Shafie, Iskandar Datuk Hajin Mohd Kaus, Haji Ismail Bin Awadan, Ismarah Bin Madcasar, Jahari Bin Datuk Mohd Don @ Johari Bin Datuk Mohd Dun, Haji Jalidar Bin Rahim,  James Thurairatnam A/L Dr C Jeremiah, Jasni Bin Matlani, Johnny Tan Bin Kulai, Dr Joseph Ahlan, Kasmin Bin Awong, Kenneth Boon, Kwek Shee Liang @ Kwok Szu Liang, Ladislaus Maluda, Liew Chee Keong, Ling Kuok Tiang, Lo Kim Tong, Lok Eow Chong, Maisuri Bin Besri, Maming Bin Staming, Melter Jiki Bin Tais, Melvin Kiandee, Dr Haji Minggu Bin Jumaan, Haji Mohd Daud Bin Haji Aman,  Haji Mohd Shariff Bin Ibrahim, Nagaraju A/L Applasamy, Patrick Chin Su Kim, {enyuki Bin Matta, Haji Peter Govind @ Mohd Farid Abdullah, Dato Ramli Bin Haji Din, Haji Rimin Bin Maidin, Roslan Bin Bian, Saidon @ Saidun Bin Haji Kadis, Susan Chang Huan Soon, Laksama Madya Dato Pahlawan Syed Zahiruddin Putra Bin Syed Osman, Hajah Datin Dr Tarsiah TZ Taman, Venkata Chellam A/L Subramaniam, William Majinbon, Wong Kee Khiong @Jimmy, Zainuddin Bin Abdul Wahab and Major General Dato Zulkapri Bin Rahamat.

There are 14 Justices of Peace (JP) recipients this year. They are former Deputy Chief Minister as well as former Youth and Sports Minister, Datuk Peter Pang En Yin and Kemabong assemblyman, Datuk Rubin Balang, who is also the chairman of the Sabah Rubber Industry Board, Chai Yun Kiong @Joseph Chai, Dr Edmon Guntis, Hairul Vaiyron Bin Othman, Datuk Harris Mathews, Kevin Koh Chen Foong, Lai Nyat Yin @ Vucky Yee, Mohd Rashid Bin Mohd Tahir, Mosinal @ Richard Kastum,  Normalah Binto Rasik, Omar Raisul AS Salam Syah Bin Sulaiman, Hajah Rokiah Binto Saleh and Yamani Hafez Musa.

Among the 88 recipients of the Ahli Setia Darjah Kinabalu (ASDK) is Sabah and Labuan regional director First Admiral Mohd Zubil Mat Som.

Also receiving the ADK award is Major Patricia Yapp who is Asia’s first female MiG-29 fighter pilot.

And altogether, there are 156 recipients for the Ahli Darjah Kinabalu (ADK), 233 recipients for the Bintang Setia Kinabalu (BSK), 306 recipients for the Bintang Kinabalu (BK) and 152 certificate of honour recipients.

KOTA KINABALU: Sandakan MP Stephen Wong has officially submitted a written parliamentary question to demand answer over alleged corruption involving a ministry in the lower house of Parliament which will resume its sitting from October 21 to November 30.

According to news report, MACC officers had frozen RM179 million in bank accounts and raided 15 locations in Sabah.

Wong said it was another big corruption scandal taking place in Sabah after the ‘Watergate’ scandal in Sabah Water Department which happened a year ago.

He said that as a Sabahan politician, he must speak for Sabahans and demand the government and relevant ministries to answer in Parliament so as to be accountable to ordinary Sabahans.

“Where has the money gone and why did it happen?” he asked.

As an MP from Sabah, he said he would stand up for people of Sabah in the Parliament to demand justice for Sabah, especially the poor Sabahans in rural area.

According to reports, the funds were allocated to more than 10 companies responsible for carrying out projects to help the rural community.

Unfortunately, Wong said, it was reported that more than RM100 million were siphoned off by certain officials.

These projects were meant to improve basic amenities and infrastructure such as the upgrading of water and electricity supply as well as providing food to poor students from hardcore poor families.

Wong said he was angry because these funds were meant to help the poor, especially children.

However it was very unfortunate that the corrupt personnel had allegedly pocketed the money and rural people continued to live being poor, he said.

“It is intolerable, shameful and irresponsible,” he added.

Wong wondered why corrupt practices, one after another, were taking place in Sabah especially funds meant to help poor rural communities were misused and siphoned off.

In Sabah Watergate scandal, out of RM3.3 federal allocation for upgrading rural water supply, RM2 billion was allegedly pocketed by corrupt officials.

Wong said that despite repeatedly questioning the government in the Parliament about where the money had gone to, there was no proper explanation given.

PENAMPANG: A woman together with her two toddlers and elderly mother were allegedly dumped at the roadside by a Grab driver for allegedly disrespecting him.

The driver of a grey Proton Persona dropped off the 29-year-old and her family at the roadside near SMK Bahang after reprimanding them for allegedly failing to signal or wave to him at the pickup point.

“But I did wave to him when I saw him approaching us while waiting near a shop in Donggongon,” said the woman.

“A few metres before he reached our exact spot, I saw his car and waved so he would see us and stop in time for us to hop in, as it was raining. But he didn’t see me waving and instead drove on,” she said.

The woman said the driver then called her on the phone and started scolding her for not waiting at the side of the road. She told him it was raining and she had children in tow.

Once they got in the car, the driver continued to vent his anger on the woman for disrespecting him, saying “Sudah la menumpang dengan saya” (“You are only hitching a ride with me”).

“I told him we could have waited by the road but it was raining and my children were with me, along with my mother.

“He went on to say he should have just cancelled the ride instead of agreeing to accept passengers who gave him inconvenience,” the woman said.

She said the driver went quiet for a while before berating them again for not respecting him.

He then stopped the car at the roadside and told them to get off as he wanted to cancel the ride.

The incident has since been reported to Grab Kota Kinabalu city manager Aaron Leong and is under investigation.

LAHAD DATU: An Indonesian quarry worker was crushed to death by a stone block weighing about one ton at the quarry site in Jalan Silam on Thursday.

District Police Chief, ACP Hamzah Ahmad when contacted yesterday said the victim was identified as Nur Jamin, 47.

Hamzah said about 4.30pm on Thursday, the chairman of the quarry received a phone call from his worker. He later rushed to the site and took the victim to the hospital.

He said the victim was confirmed dead on arrival at the hospital due to serious injuries including head injuries and a broken hand and leg.

“Initial investigation found that the victim was helping his colleague to lift the stone block onto a lorry using a forklift. When the stone block was lifted, the victim was standing next to the forklift.

“During lifting, the stone block suddenly slid off and fell beside the forklift crushing the victim who was standing there,” he said.

According to Hamzah, a post mortem will be conducted on the victim’s body and no foul play was found that caused the victim’s death.

Hamzah added that the case has been classified as sudden death.

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah vice president Anthony Peter and a company director were ordered by the Magistrate’s Court here yesterday to undergo a five-day remand to facilitate investigation involving the alleged embezzlement of funds for rural development projects.

Magistrate Stephanie Sherron Abbie made the order on the 46-year-old politician and 52-year-old director for investigation under Section 17 (a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.

MACC investigating officer Mohd Faliq Basirudin applied for a seven-day remand but the court granted five days instead.

The suspects entered the magistrate’s chambers at 2.40pm for the hearing of the application and ended at 3.15pm.

The remand started yesterday until October 10 and additional remand will be applied, if needed, said Faliq.

Counsels Martin Tommy, Cedric Choo, Loretto Padua Jr, Norazmi Alimat and Jaikol Situn represented the politician while counsel Edward Paul represented the director.

KOTA KINABALU: Happy Family Homes Malaysia aims to build more affordable homes for the poor community in Sabah.

The assistance given by Happy Family is for those who are not eligible to apply for Hardcore Poor Housing Programme (PPRT) homes or bank loans.

The proposed house will cost RM25,000 and the proposed house owner will have to complete the payment within approximately seven years

State chapter president Pauline Abel said that there were currently 46 houses that had already been built and three were three more houses currently in the works.

“We are looking for individual homes. At the same time, we are also looking for lands in Sabah that are similar to the ones we have found in Sarawak,” Pauline told reporters at the Sabah Chartered Volunteer Society Community Development event at MCIS Insurance, Sedco Complex yesterday.

In contrast, Happy Family has managed to build more houses in Sarawak as compared to Kuala Lumpur and Sabah since the latter’s state government gives the former support by providing land. So far, the NGO has managed to build for than 100 houses in the whole of Sarawak.

Asked whether Happy Family had approached the government for assistance, Pauline said her NGO had yet to do so.

“Last year we had disaffiliated ourselves from an NGO called Habitat From Humanity. We left because there were too many protocols that we had to follow under that NGO since it was an international organization.

“Under Happy Family, we are finally on our own. So maybe in the future, we may do that (to ask for assistance from the government,” Pauline added.

She said the 49 houses that Happy Family had built in Sabah are scattered all over the state, with Kota Belud having the highest number of houses thus far.

Last week, Happy Family dedicated two houses in Penampang Baru and a few more in Tamparuli, Papar and Keningau.

As of this year alone, there are currently three new projects in the state with three more on going projects from last year.

“Our target is to finish the projects within three months,” Pauline disclosed.

Most of Happy Family’s volunteers comprised international students. The only locals in the group comprised students from a missionary school in Tawau, a school which had been supporting Pauline’s NGO for seven years.

She said the international students, who were sent to Sabah, would usually spend about one of two weeks here to assist Happy Family in the construction of the houses.

She said to create more public awareness, Happy Family had opted to conduct visits to various villages to further spread its good news all over the state.

In order to for a person be eligible for this assistance, Pauline said that person must own a monthly income, a land and a family and the person must not possess a house under his name.

Pauline herself would interview prospective families in order to make sure that the families are actually eligible for the assistance.

“If in between, the families fail to continue paying, we will sit with them and talk to find a better solution,” Pauline said, adding that honesty was an important element for Happy Family.