PARLIAMENT East Malaysian lawmakers may be lauding the Pan-Borneo highway across Sabah and Sarawak but one MP is far from impressed.

The RM27 billion highway stretches 1,633km across the two states.

Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) complained that the project has given detractors fodder to accuse Umno of robbing the state.

He was upset that the Sabah section of the highway would be handled by UEM and MMC which are West Malaysia-based companies.
 
"I am not making this up but there are letters going out saying: 'Umno is robbing again, Umno is robbing again'.
 
"UEM and MMC, which is led by Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary (left), will be taking over the roads in Sabah," he said.
 
In contrast, Abdul Ghapur said the Sarawak section was being handled by the state's own companies.
 
"If there is a dialogue on this I am going to oppose (the West Malaysia companies),  and I call on the prime minister - if this is true, to give it to Sabahans," he said.
 
Abdul Ghapur, who is from Umno himself, is a vocal leader for East Malaysia interests.

When debating the budget speech, Abdul Ghapur also asked that other projects such as those involving Felda, to only be given to Sabahans.
 
"I do not even want to see a single screw coming from peninsula Malaysia for Felda," he said.
 
Claim poverty rate falling scorned

Abdul Ghapur also poured scorn on Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's claim that poverty rate in the country was falling.
 
"Where is the drop? He said only 1.7 percent left in the country are poor.
 
"This 1.7 percent cannot possibly include Sabah, they are peninsula Malaysia statistics," he said.
 
He called for the formation of a bi-partisan parliamentary committee to determine the exact household income in Sabah, rubbishing official government statistics.
 
"Present a report to Parliament on the exact percentage of poor in Sabah... let's have a real evaluation. Sabahans don't want their eyes to be clouded," he said.
 
He added if city folks in Sabah knew about the situation in the state, BN would be defeated in the next general election.
 
Ong Kian Ming (DAP-Serdang) (left) then pointed out that according to the Household Income Survey 2012 released by the department of statistics, the average Sabah household income was RM4,000 a month.
 
"I would like to ask Kalabakan if this is an accurate reflection of the household income there and if not, why would there be such a figure?" he said.
 
"Serdang said that the household income is RM4,000 but even the speaker is smiling because he knows you can't get this amount even in Beluran," he said.
 
"Just because rich people make RM500,000 a month, we can't calculate it by dividing that amount among the poor, how can that be," he said.
 
The sitting was chaired by house speaker Ronald Kiandee, who is MP for Beluran.
 
He also lamented the the poor electricity supply in Sabah, stating that there could be four to five disruptions in one day.
 
"Even I have to use generator and it’s often turned on because of the electricity disruptions," he said.


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