JEFFREY WANTS TO SPLIT THE OPPOSITION

PARTI Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) here said the emergence of Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan in Sabah politics via the State Reform Party (Star) is only aimed at dividing the opposition.

Bingkor PKR committee member-cum-former Asst Chairman of the Sabah PKR Council of Elders, Robert Linggi, said the PKR's main agenda is to change the Federal Government.

"But from the way the Star is breaking the opposition pact, this vision will be harder to achieve," he said.

While he did not accuse the Star of complotting with the Barisan Nasional (BN), he said Dr Jeffrey might have a hidden agenda.

"He was a very strong figure in the opposition but suddenly joined Star, a local-based party from Sarawak," he said.

"So what is the probable eventuality of Star in Sabah, assuming that it manages to win a seat here, then who would become the Chief Minister or Prime Minister?" he asked.

Robert said, if Dr Jeffrey really wants to be authoritative in a local party, then during the PBS reign in 1994, here, he would not have left the party and caused PBS to crumble as a result of his betraying his own brother, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan.

On other developments, he said cleanliness in Bingkor constituency has worsened."Ever since Datuk Lawrence Gimbang, then Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and now Datuk Justin Guka took turns holding the area, cleanliness in the area had never been taken care of and everything is topsy-turvy," he said.

He said rubbish is discarded indiscriminately and not cleared in front of the school and market as well as all over Bingkor shop areas.

The elected representative only makes promises but never makes the effort to improve the environment as well as the standard of living of people in the constituency.

"He only turun padang during weddings, festivities and other ceremonies. He is never around to discuss matters that are related to the people's economy, monitoring paddy planting, irrigation as well as village cleanliness," he said.

As a sub-district, he said Bingkor should have a fire station, a police station, mini secretariat and other amenities including easy access for the people with the authorities.

"If Bingkor and Apin-Apin are truly being developed as a sub-district, people would not have to go down all the way to Keningau town to make their dealings and thus spend their hard earned money in travelling," he said.

On Apin-Apin Tamu ground, he said this has also been neglected by BN elected politicians. The lighting and cleanliness there has not been addressed and that more and more foreigners are occupying the stalls, making life difficult for the locals.

These problems are also evident at the Bingkor Tamu ground. He said it has been agreed that the Bingkor tamu should operate on Sunday, Apin-Apin on Saturday and Keningau tamu, on Thursday.

But Keningau now has two tamu on Thursday and Sunday, he said, which is not good for Bingkor.

"During the British era, the authority fixed alternate days for the three tamus to operate so that sellers from the three areas can share equal benefits," he said. However, Robert said the current District Council in unable to apply this.

Regarding balairayas in Bingkor, he said most of it such as in Kg Singgah Mata, Kg Bunsit, Kg Bingkor Baru, Kg Kuangoh and Kg Bunga Raya, among others, are in very poor condition.

"Some have holes on their roofing and some are beginning to collapse," he said. Kg Singgah Mata, he said, has not celebrated the Tadau Kaamatan for the past three years because its balairaya is unsafe.

"But why are all this problems not monitored and resolved?

Why have the YBs never taken the initiative to care for the people through the respective community development officer, village heads and JKKK chairmen?" he said.

If the elected representatives gave the excuse that they don't have enough allocation, he said it is not a logical excuse because they are the government, and the government has the funds.

He said Bingkor Assemblyman Datuk Justin Guka, despite being the assemblyman for two terms already, has not made any improvement to the lives of the people there as well as the conditions of the constituency.