Digest on Malaysian News

The RM3bil Petronas gas pipeline project from Kimanis in Sabah to Bintulu in Sarawak was canceled by the PM on May 31, 2008. The PM however, flip-flopped his own decision and announced that the gas pipeline project is ON again but UPKO is against the idea.

Upko president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok contention about the gas pipeline project is that Kimanis is only a natural gas landing point as the gas would be piped to Bintulu where it would be processed and exported as Liquefied Natural Gas.

“What we are saying is that the gas could be used here (in Sabah) as a pit stop for a lot of other downstream activities - urea, fertiliser and all this. The gas can be used for the generation of electricity, so that we can have energy security,” he explained.

Prime Minister on May 31 had announced that the gas pipeline project was scrapped and a power plant would be built. However, the PM on Saturday said the gas pipeline project was on and assured that the state government would be paid oil royalties while Petronas would build a narural gas-powered plant in Kimanis.

Related posts:
* UPKO To Quit Barisan Nasional ?
* UPKO frustrated with Barisan Nasional

From TheStar

Upko determined to get gas pipeline project scrapped
By MUGUNTAN VANAR

KOTA KINABALU: Upko is keeping everyone guessing as to what it will do if it fails to get the controversial RM3bil Petronas gas pipeline project scrapped.

Upko president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said that he wants to first bring up the issue of the proposed 500km pipeline from Kimanis in Sabah to Bintulu in Sarawak to the Cabinet.

“To be fair, we will cross that bridge when we come to it,” Dompok said when asked if Upko will get off the Barisan Nasional bus if it fails to get the pipeline project scrapped.

“We have to take things one at a time. I will be talking to the Cabinet about this on Friday and I want to pursue it,” he said when asked if Upko planned to leave Barisan if it fails to get the project scrapped.

On PKR’s call to Upko to quit Barisan, Dompok replied: “They are entitled to express whatever opinion they have. We are not beholden to any other party, our client is the rakyat.”

Dompok, who is Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, told this to reporters Thursday after launching an integrated multi-agency mobile public complaints programme at Buhavan Square in Penampang here.

He said that the contention about the gas pipeline project is that Kimanis is only a natural gas landing point as the gas would be piped to Bintulu where it would be processed and exported as Liquefied Natural Gas.

“What we are saying is that the gas could be used here (in Sabah) as a pit stop for a lot of other downstream activities - urea, fertiliser and all this. The gas can be used for the generation of electricity, so that we can have energy security,” he explained.

He said the Gayang Independent Power Plant in Tuaran had about 20 years guaranteed supply and questioned what would happen after the gas ran out.

What we want to do is to explain the need for energy security for Sabah itself, he said, adding that the Prime Minister on May 31 had announced that the gas pipeline project was scrapped and a power plant would be built.

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Saturday said the gas pipeline project was on and assured that the state government would be paid oil royalties while Petronas would build a narural gas-powered plant in Kimanis.

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United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) lead by its deputy president, Wilfred Bumburing lamented that UPKO will consider it's position within the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition after they were dissatisfied by action of NRD in the recent case whereby a local Sabahan is treated as a foreigner.

If the Barisan Nasional leadership did not deal with this "threat" seriously, UPKO will be following SAPP in quiting BN coalition.

Related posts:
* UPKO frustrated with Barisan Nasional

From The News Strait Times

When Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee announced the party’s decision to leave the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition on Sept 17, it did not surprise many people as it was expected.

This was because three months earlier, SAPP had given some indication of its intentions.

But when United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) yesterday threatened to review its position in Barisan Nasional, it came as a shock; as it was reminiscent of SAPP’s political move.

Upko is the second BN component party in Sabah to make a “strong statement” against BN after SAPP.

While SAPP unveiled Sabah-related issues as its political “weapon”, Upko appeared to be unhappy with the way the National Registration Department (NRD) handled the plight of 78-year-old Yong Lee Hua, a Sino-Kadazan, who was issued a red identiy card (IC) with the status of a permanent resident when she went to replace her blue IC that she lost in a supermarket in Penampang last year.

Surprised by the downgrading, Upko deputy president Datuk Wilfred Bumburing was quoted as saying yesterday that taking away the citizenship of a locally-born Bumiputera and forcing the person to take permanent resident status was a shocking display of incompetence from a department rigged with controversies, including dubious ICs issued to illegal immigrants via false Statutory Declarations.

“This action by the NRD infringes the basic rights of Malaysians in Sabah and if it is not rectified, Upko must seriously review its position in Barisan,” said Bumburing, who is member of Parliament for Tuaran.

So will Upko follow SAPP because of its dissatisfaction with the BN? A local political analyst, Iskandar Martin Gayo, believed that Upko may have no plans to pull out of BN for now although the Sabah-based party had been quite vocal of late in airing the grouses and grievances of the people of Sabah.

“I think what Upko wants is for the government to rectify the ’mistake’ of a federal government department and it’s not an ultimatum. There is nothing wrong with it. After all what Upko is fighting for is for the good of the local people in Sabah.

“It’s already an open secret that Sabah is inundated with illegal immigrants and some of them have even managed to acquire the MyKad through dubious means, which ultimately qualifies for citizenship.

“How can these people get citizenship so easily when our own people are struggling to get it?” he asked.

He urged the federal government to let Sabahans lead the NRD and Immigration Department in Sabah as they would be more familiar with problems affecting the local population.

Iskandar said the state government under Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman had been working hard, together with the federal government, to tackle the problem of illegal immigrants.

The issue of illegal immigrants, he said, should not arise anymore as the state and federal governments were serious about solving it once and for all by launching a massive operation to flush out illegals in Sabah recently.

“Recent operations had resulted in thousands of illegal immigrants being sent back to their country of origin. The local people should give the government a chance to complete this gigantic task; all this cannot be accomplished overnight,” he said.

Iskandar hoped the case involving Yong Lee Hua highlighted by Upko was an isolated one and without necessitating it having to think about its position in BN.

He said even Upko president and Penampang MP Tan Sri Bernard Dompok had previously denied that the party would leave BN.

Instead, Upko leaders would remain loyal to BN chairman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, he said.

Upko has four MPs — Dompok, Bumburing, Datuk Dr Marcus Majigoh (Putatan) and Datuk Siringan Gubat (Ranau). — BERNAMA

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Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, the president of United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation indicated that UPKO is frustrated with the federal government for neglecting Sabah and critical issue like the illegal immigrants has not be solved for decades.

So if UPKO to quit Barisan Nasional, it would have the blessing of the people and party grassroots. Thus changing alliance is a non-issue if federal government is not serious in solving Sabah problem.

In addition, frustration of Dompok is compounded by the fact that he is the president of a Barisan Nasional party component but is consigned to become a clerk (read: hold non-important post in the Cabinet) in the federal Cabinet. This clearly show that Badawi has not respect for Dompok and the people of Sabah.

Updates:
* Sep 27, 2008: UPKO to quit Barisan Nasional ?





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From TheStar

Crossovers a real threat, says Dompok

By MAZWIN NIK ANIS

PUTRAJAYA: Another president of a Sabah Barisan Nasional component party has sounded the alarm bell over the “very real” possibility of crossovers.

United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said the frustrations of Sabahans and their representatives in getting the Federal Government to solve their long list of problems are “extremely real” and talk about MPs crossing over to join the Opposition is symptomatic of this frustration.

He said the longstanding issues affecting Sabahans could no longer be “swept under the carpet” and MPs were under a lot of pressure to resolve the people’s problems.

Any decision for Upko to leave the Barisan fold will be made by the party and not by him, Dompok stressed to the press yesterday.

He said that while Upko’s three other MPs had not raised the subject of leaving the party “at the moment,” he admitted: “Their frustrations are real. I think no one can deny it”.

When asked if any of the Upko MPs, including himself, had been approached by the Opposition leaders, Dompok replied: “Not yet as far as I know.

“But if these people (from Pakatan Rakyat) want to talk to me in Parliament, there is no reason why I should not talk to them.”

He said there were still many issues, among them immigration and basic infrastructure, waiting to be resolved in Sabah.

“The people of Sabah have been taken for granted because we are a laidback, easy-going people. The state is thousands of kilometres away from the nation’s capital. As they say, out of sight, out of mind,” he said.

Dompok said constituents in Sabah have always been vocal but failed to grab the media’s attention until “recent changes in the political environment”.

To a question, he said that the majority of the grassroots wanted action and they would not mind if their MPs crossed over as long as their problems were ironed out.

“There are people who condemn crossovers, saying that it is immoral and such. But who are they and why are they taking the moral high ground, when in their previous lives, they too, have done it.

“But if you ask me, I don’t think the Opposition will make the numbers,” he said.