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Jabu accused of using 'scare tactics'
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Joseph Tawie
Monday, 08 February 2010 12:29 |
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BETONG – Stanny Embat, a retired senior police officer, has accused Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu of using 'scare tactics' against the people in order to maintain their support in the Layar constituency.
“Jabu is not doing any thing to help the people of Betong, whom he represents for the past 35 years. He has not helped the people to improve their economic well-being," said Embat at a political gathering organised by PKR at Melayu Ili near here on Sunday.
“No doubt there are physical developments in Betong, but the people have remained poor with no sources of incomes,” he said.
Alfred Jabu accused of using scaring tactics
'Rights of the people'
He said some years ago when Jabu was minister of agriculture, he tried to commercialise ‘kepayang’, and urged the people to plant it, but the “kepayang project was a total failure".
What Jabu was good at was carrying out politics of fear against the people in order to maintain their support, he added.
PKR state chairman Baru Bian, who was the main speaker, said that the present state government did not practise the concept of “people first” when they took away native customary rights (NCR) land and leased them to big companies for the planting of trees and oil palm.
“They do not care for the rights of the people; they only care for themselves,” he said and pointed out that PR has an “extraordinary” policy – the policy of giving priority to the people’s interest as can be seen in states under its administration.
He said that the present government refused to survey NCR land saying that the government has no money.
“That is not the real reason. The reason is that they are scared that all the lands in Sarawak will be NCR lands, and that being the case, the state government cannot give such lands any more to the companies for the planting of trees and oil palm," he said.
'Life of the people'
“Nor do they want to give titles to NCR lands, because if the lands are not titled the land owners will not be able to use them as collateral when borrowing money from the banks to carry out their own businesses.
“In other words, if their businesses are successful, they do not depend on government on hand-outs and, therefore, cannot be intimidated to support the government."
For PR, Baru said that it regarded NCR lands as “life of the people” and pledged to survey all NCR lands and issue them titles if it takes over the state government.
“But if you do not help us (vote this government out), then nothing can be done to help you,” he said.
State PKR deputy chairman Wan Zainal Wan Sanusi and PKR adviser Jimmy Donald, a former MP fo Sri Aman, also spoke at the function.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 09 February 2010 16:19 |
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