POOR... "Hagong...hagong...between me and YTL, who is poor?"
By: SAPP MEDIA
DENIAL by the State Economic Planning Unit (EPU) that Sabah is the poorest in the country is merely an attempt to cover up embarrassment on the State Government as a result of the World Bank's report.
Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) President Datuk Yong Teck Lee said that for an important matter such is this the person who is answerable is the Chief Minister and not to delegate the duty to a government officer.
"The State Government was now only trying to save face (with the statement by State EPU Director Datuk Ismail Abdullah) that we are the poorest and that it might not be overcome this for many years," he told reporters at SAPP headquarters in Bornion near here Monday.
In fact, Yong said the World Bank report re-confirmed another report by the EPU in the Prime Minister's Department in 2007, which stated that at 23 per cent, Sabah's poverty rate was the highest in the country.
He said the low doctor-patient ratio, insufficient electricity supply, high number of squatters' presence, high education failure rate, etc in Sabah are indicators that Sabah is the poorest state.
"What the World Bank said was that not only Sabah is the poorest but we are going to take a long time to address it," he said.
"The government should not let an officer to deny the matter but it should come from the Chief Minister himself," said Yong.
State EPU Director, Datuk Ismail Abdullah had said that news reports stating the World Bank's third edition Malaysian Economic Monitor (MEM) Report that was launched recently suggested Sabah as the poorest state in the country to be inaccurate.
Ismail said the State EPU regretted that the media had twisted the facts and the report being "grossly misinterpreted".
The reports came about following the second launch of the World Bank's MEM Report themed Inclusive Growth here, when the media was briefed by the World Bank Human Development Sector Director (East Asia and Pacific Region), Emmanuel Jimenez on the issue.
The CM should say something about the world Bank report.The rakyats have the right to know how far this is true.If he failed to perform then I suggest he steps down and let another leader do the job.Is this the result of seven years job as CM?
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