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Date Posted: 02:29:58 01/22/01 Mon
Hamden challenges Abang Abu to contest in Belawai
ST 22.1.2001
ASAJAYA - Dato Abang Abu Bakar was yesterday challenged to contest in the constituency of N30 Belawai in the coming State election.
State assemblyman for Belawai Tuan Haji Ham-den Haji Ahmad threw the challenge at the former Defence Minister during a Ramah Tamah Aidilfitri at Asajaya.
Previously, Hamden had dared Abang Abu to contest in Belawai or Serdang or Matu Daro - the three State seats under the Parliamentary constituency of P180 Kuala Rajang.
The reply from Abang Abu has been a muted silence.
"So I am now once again challenging Abang Abu to come and contest in Belawai if he thinks the people there still want him to be their representative. Should he think I am too minuscule like ikan bilis and unworthy to stand against him, then I call upon the Chief Minister to come to Belawai to contest against him," Hamden said.
He refuted the allegation that Abang Abu was dropped by the Chief Minister during the last parliamentary election, saying it was, in fact, the people of Kuala Rajang who rejected him.
Hamden lamented that when Abang Abu was the candidate in the area, he (Hamden), the PBB branches of Belawai and the party's stalwarts in the area were brushed aside from the election machinery.
"Instead, Abang Abu brought his boys from Sibu to campaign for him, thus rendering the whole Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) bahagian and its branches in the area irrelevant and useless. The people in the area had enough of his approach," Hamdan emphasised.
The Belawai ADUN traced the history of Abang Abu's candidacy in Kuala Rajang. He said when Abang Abu was first nominated for the area, nobody there knew him and he was therefore not accepted.
At that time, Hamden said he moved from kampung to kampung to approach the party stalwarts and the leaders in Kuala Rajang and he managed to convince them to accept Abang Abu as a candidate because he was nominated by Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud who gave the instruction to accept Abang Abu.
Short of such instruction from the Chief Minister and PBB president, Hamden pointed out, the party stalwarts and elders would never have accepted Abang Abu to be their MP.
"We the people in the area have been very nice and accommodative to Abang Abu so much so that he was returned unopposed in at least two parliamentary elections. But in the 17 years that he was the parliamentary representative in his capacities as deputy and full federal ministers, there had been no development in the area. I ask Abang Abu to name me one major project he has implemented that he can be really proud of.
Speak of Tanjung Manis, this was conceived, developed and implemented by none other than the Chief Minister," Hamden said.
He noted that during Abang Abu's tenure as MP, the roads in the area were not tar-sealed. They were only tar-sealed upon instruction from the Chief Minister. Hamden said the people in the area told Abang Abu : "Enough is enough and we want a change of MP."
He also stressed if anybody wanted to know whether there was any development in Belawai during Abang Abu's time, the best people to ask and ascertain the truth from would be the people from Belawai.
"You do not ask about development in Belawai from people outside the area. And I am the representative of the area. The people of Belawai and I are in the best position to tell the world whether there had been any development in the area during Abang Abu's tenure. Do not ask those outside the area because they are not in the know."
Hamden said to prove that the people in Belawai still wanted him, Abang Abu should pick up the gauntlet to contest in the area.
"It is something he should do if he still thinks he is popular with the people in the constituency.
If he thinks I am too small for him to fight against, then I call upon the Chief Minister to come to Belawai where he can contest against Abang Abu."
Call to reject self-centred candidates
By Harun Jau
ASAJAYA - The people in the State have been advised to reject those who practise politics of slandering State leaders.
Those who slandered the government leaders were traitors and jealous of the development projects the government had carried out for the people, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud said yesterday.
"We must fight them, reject them and wipe them out completely from Malay politics, Bumiputera politics and Sarawak politics," he said at a Majlis Ramah Tamah Aididfitri held at Dewan Tan Sri Datuk Amar Ikwan Zaini here.
Taib said candidates slandering others and only thinking of their own interests should be rejected by the voters in the coming election as they were not sincere in their struggles for the people.
"These people will use all sorts of methods to get the people to vote for them, so beware of their tricks," he said.
"If the people of Sarawak accept their brand of politics, and allow themselves to be in situations created by these groups, the political stability, racial harmony and economic progress will be destroyed," he added.
Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister's Office, Datuk Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, who is also the chairman of the main organising committee in his speech urged the people to continue to support the leadership of the Chief Minister.
He said under the capable leadership of the Chief Minister, tremendous development had taken place in the State and there were plenty of opportunities for the people to improve their living standard.
He said any attempt to cause division among the people by certain groups for their self-interest must not be allowed.
Also invited to speak were Tuan Haji Wan Wahab bin Wan Sanusi, ADUN for Sadong Jaya, Temenggong Haji Bolhasan bin Bongom and State Assemblyman for Belawai, Haji Hamden Ahmad.
Among those present were the Chief Minister's wife Datuk Amar Puan Sri Hajah Laila Taib, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Alfred Jabu, Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly, Dato' Mohd Asfia Awang Nasser, Tourism Minister, Dato' Abang Johari Tun Abang Haji Openg, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister Office, Encik Bolhassan Haji Di, Assistant Minister for Welfare and Women's Affairs, Datin Paduka Hajah Sharifah Mordiah binte Tuanku Fauzi and communities leaders.
Earlier on arrival, the Chief Minister and his wife who flew in by helicopter were given a rousing welcome by the people who came from areas around Samarahan, Sadong Jaya, Gedong and Sebuyau.
At the function the Chief Minister handed over government grant totalling RM250,000 to the Chung Hua Association of Asajaya for the construction of their multipurpose hall.
Some 12 Parent-Teachers Associations from the Asajaya area also received RM4,500 each for them to purchase computers for their schools.
PBDS hails Ministry's kindergarten policy
By Christie Aili
KUCHING - Parti Bangsa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) strongly supports the Federal Education Ministry's policy of setting up kindergartens or pre-schools in selected rural areas throughout the nation.
"As education is very fundamental to the welfare of the rural people, the party hopes the Ministry will give high priority to Sarawak when setting up such schools," president Datuk Amar Leo Moggie anak Irok, who is also the Minister of Communication and Multimedia, told reporters after the launching of PBDS Samarahan Education Committee here yesterday.
He also hoped that the relevant government bodies would, under the 8th Malaysia Plan, initiate suitable programmes to identify rural areas which were in dire need of such schools.
Moggie pointed out that the need for kindergartens or pre-schools was not critical in urban areas because of the existence of various pre-school facilities. Besides, urban parents realised the importance of early education for their children.
Because education was vital for improving the living standard of the Dayaks in the State, Moggie said that it was time for PBDS to play its part in motivating and helping the Dayaks, especially from rural areas, to pursue higher education.
He added that with the setting up of the Education Committee, the party was giving top priority to education.
Moggie explained that one of the roles of the committee would be to keep bright students in rural areas informed of the education loan schemes provided by the government or private institutions.
According to him, many bright Dayak students with outstanding results in public examinations are missing out on educational opportunities because they are unable to pursue their studies at institutions of higher learning.
Moggie said the Education Committee would also carry out surveys on the examination results of the Dayak students in the rural areas of the State.
"This will make it easier for us to suggest recommendations to the government to improve the students' performance," he added.
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