DISCRIMINATION OVER CONTRACT AWARD?

By : PETER MARAJIN

KOTA BELUD: For the past few months reports and complaints had been forwarded to me from Dusun Christian contractors in Kota Belud that it is getting more and more difficult for them to get government jobs amid allegations of race discrimination from officers including at the development unit of the District Office.

I take seriously such complaints because they kept coming to my ear and that these small time contractors alleged that some of their peers had stopped "trying" to get jobs after being continuously sidelined by those in the authorities.

These complaints range from simple half-hearted treatment by certain officers to these Dusun Christian contractors as compared to their Muslim counterparts. They even claimed that they have complained to Kadamaian assemblyman Herbert Timbon Lagadan repeatedly but that nothing that he could do to alleviate the situation.

Now this is a great concern to me as a leader from the affected community. As much as i hate it to pick up on potentially racial issue, it must be highlighted now that such discriminatory acts by public officers and leaders of the ruling party do not augur well for our multi-ethnic society that we all have come to appreciate in Kota Belud and Sabah.

I feel sorry for these victimised contractors as i believed they are genuine contractors trying to participate in the economic and development cake of this country. There is even more need to be sensitive to needs and perception of justice in a multi-religious community like ours, something certain officers and leaders had failed to appreciate.

I urge the local leaders in Kota Belud and the District Officer to look into such complaints, and not start defending themselves from scrutiny. These contractors refused to come out openly at the moment as they fear further backlash from those in the authorities.

I also take special interest in certain complaints that Dusun contractors who got jobs to be approved were denied his right to carry out the job, being subjected to various red tapes and when in the end the contractors gave up, the jobs were awarded to other contractors.

I hope this is not true, at least not because of race and religion but more to competency. But then competency is another subjective matter altogether in a heavily politically-influenced decisions.

 

I am also made to understand that contractors who are Umno members or supporters are easier to get projects and that they kept getting jobs while others non-Umno would hardly get anything at all.

There is even talk in town that a certain Dusun officer had been tranferred to other district like Beluran simply because he did not make it a point to be always present at certain Umno leader's function. Now this has to be clarified, as we are auditing how public offices are being staffed and manned in Kota Belud.