Wednesday 27 June 2012

PAIRIN’S MAGIC TOUCH




LEADER.....From left: Musa Aman, Najib Razak and Joseph Pairin Kitingan


WHEN the Huguan Siou speaks, the prime minister listens. It could be his magic touch or charisma. But by his quiet and gentle persuasion, Joseph Pairin Kitingan gets things done for Sabah’s indigenous Kadazandusuns and Muruts who make up about a fifth of the 3.2m people who include Malays, ethnic Chinese and Indians. Most importantly, he has the ear of Najib Razak, the prime minister.

He doesn’t throw tantrums in public or hold the ruling 13-party Barisan Nasional coalition, of which his Parti Bersatu Sabah (unity party) is a member, to ransom. Yet when others in the coalition fail, Pairin, as he is affectionately called by his middle name, succeeds.

The undisputed Huguan Siou, paramount leader of the Kadazandusuns and Muruts, has got the prime minister to set up a royal commission of inquiry into illegal immigrants in Sabah and the first college of higher learning for Kadazandusuns and Muruts, build a water treatment plant and lay 52km (32.5 miles) of pipes to bring potable water to slightly more than 200,000 mostly natives in the Sabah interior.

“Every time we met … he (Pairin) would always raise the water supply problem of the people in the interior,” said Najib during a visit to Keningau to celebrate the Kaamatan harvest festival with the Kadazandusuns and Muruts on June 16. “So I said, ‘just wait till I come to Keningau.’ I haven’t come here empty handed.”

The federal government is giving Sabah a 235m ringgit ($73.5m) loan for the water project. Najib said his government would fund the KDM college. How much that would be will depend on a discussion between him and Pairin.

Pairin has been the lawmaker of the Keningau, a parliamentary constituency five times the size of Singapore, since 1986. It includes his state seat of Tambunan which he has held for 36 years after winning it in 1976.

At 71 the Grand Old Man of Sabah politics, has certainly mellowed with age but he has not lost his effectiveness. And he has drawn much wisdom from his experience in leading a state in hostile opposition to Kuala Lumpur and then working in consonance with the centre as government leader.

His patience and tact have paid off. Events of the past week have put Keningau in sharp focus not just because of the prime minister’s visit. They have announced the massive transformation of Keningau into an economic, educational and cultural hub.

Forestry and vast acreage of oil palms have supported Keningau. But Najib launched Malaysia’s biggest integrated livestock centre in Sook, a small distance from Keningau town, that will draw investments of 763m ringgit. It can produce 6m litres of milk a year. There will be 2,000 cows with 1,600 of them producing milk while the rest will be slaughtered for beef. The centre is expected to produce 2m litres of milk from 500 cows next year.

Najib opened a 30m-ringgit handicraft centre of which 20m ringgit has come from the federal government. It is a one-stop centre that trains artisans, produces and sells handicraft.

So the KDM college fits snugly into Keningau’s economic transformation. Agriculture and agro-industries need lots of skilled workers. It would be fitting for the college to produce agriculturalists, agronomists, veterinarians, carpenters, building technicians and artisans to fill thousands of jobs in Keningau.

“This college is a dream of the KDM community to have a higher learning institution in the interior of Sabah,” said Pairin as Najib launched the college at Kaingaran in Tambuan, about 43km from Keningau.

“Every year, thousands of school leavers from Keningau, Tambunan, Nabawan and Ranau have to further their studies in Kota Kinabalu or the peninsula. The fact is that not many of them can afford to do so.”

It will be built on 20 hectares of a hillock that forms part of 240 hectares of state land. Officials said 200 hectares of it would be planted with oil palms that should in time earn enough money for the college. (Insight Sabah)

33 comments:

  1. Memang tidak menghampakan lawatan Najib di Keningau dan Tambunan kali ini.

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    1. Memang betul, pengumuman Datuk Najib mengembirakan penduduk Keningau.

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    2. Apa nda double berita gembira orang Kenigau terima. Harap semua yang dirancang menjadi.

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    3. Keningau will be another attraction both investor and tourist.

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  2. Pairin perlu membuktikan bahawa kepimpinan beliau masih relevan walaupun sudah 30 tahun menjadi pemimpin rakyat.

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    1. Pairin akan sentiasa menjadi pilihan rakyat, memang sudah terbukti beliau antara pemimpin Sabah yang terbaik.

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    2. pairin adalah hugunan siou, dia byk main peranan dalam membantu rakyat.

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    3. beliau sudah membuktikannya...

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    4. Taniah kepada Pairin dan harap dia terus berusaha melakukan yang terbaik buat Sabah.

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  3. That is why we shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Pairin still has his charisma although he seems to be quiet. Rather than some leaders or politicians who likes to make 'noise' only but turn out nothing.

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  4. I'm glad to hear that the Prime Minister pays attention to what our Huguan Siou says. Hopefully Pairin will be able to influence our PM.

    http://sabah-go-green.blogspot.com/

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    1. Satu permulaan yang baik dan harap ia dapat diteruskan. At least Najib dengar juga suara-suara Sabahan.

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  5. Pairin was given the title Huguan Siou by the people due to his charismatic leadership.

    http://sabah-go-green.blogspot.com/

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    1. Support the Huguan Siou and don’t bring him down. We will become a laughing stock if we ourselves destroy our own leader after he has done so much for us and uniting us.

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  6. harap tu kolej KDM cepat2 siap...

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    1. Kalau itu kolej KDM siap, pasti ramai yang gembira dan keyakinan terhadap kerajaan juga akan bertambah.

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  7. pairin pasti akan menang di tambunan dan keningau pada pru13 nanti..

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    1. rakyat keningau rata-rata menyokong kepimpinan pairin.

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  8. Semoga, selepas ini makin banyak lagi kelebihan yang ditonjolkan oleh Pairin. Diam-diam ubi berisi la katakan:P

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  9. Buktikan kepada rakyat yang mana beliau mampu memberikan yang terbaik kepada penduduk Sabah.

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    1. Pairin will strike the best for the people.

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    2. Jika terbuktinya beliau ikhlas, tidak hairan rakyat akan memberi sokongan.

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  10. Laksanakan apa yang dirancang itu sebaiknya.

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  11. Harap Najib akan memberi lebih banyak peruntukan untuk Sabahan.

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  12. Hubungan Pairin & Najib amat baik. Pairin pasti dicalonkan untuk PRU 13.

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  13. Semoga penuntut dan belia muda mendapat pendidikan yang wajar.

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  14. Lajim will strike anotehr victory for Keningau (Tambunan)

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  15. Pairin merupakan pemimpin yang berpengaruh dan dihormati.

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  16. pemimpin yang menunaikan tugas dengan baik akan terus disokong.

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  17. BN, its track record of being a very organised party is proven. the people of Sabah understand this and would vote for BN to power again.

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  18. diharap kempinan yang berkesan dan baik akan terus ditunjukkan agar lebih banyak pembangunan akan terlaksana.

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  19. Pairin tidak perlu bising2 di media untuk mendapatkan bantuan dari kerajaan persekutuan.. tidak perlu menonjolkan diri beliau sebagai pemimpin2 yang benar2 lantang bersuara melalui media..

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