Dear Editor,
THE state of affairs in
Sabah Water Department is alarming in that some districts had yet to be filled
with the services of qualified engineers. I have heard that Papar District had
yet to be served by an Engineer and that works are being supervised by the
District Engineer from Gaya Park, Kota Kinabalu.
Similarly, transfer of
experienced engineers from other districts had been purposely delayed by the
deputy director on reasons that transfers should only be executed after the
general elections.
Rumors are that a Kota
Kinabalu engineer had been approved for transfer to Keningau by the Ministry of
Infrastructure Development but the transfer had been withheld by the deputy
director for reasons known only to himself.
I must stress here that the
recent anniversary bash by the State Water Department was blown into
disproportion and was grossly unwarranted as the department had miserably failed
to address the perennial water problems in the state.
Millions or even Billions of
Ringgits had already been spent by the government, both at the state and
federal level, to alleviate the supply of water in the state but complaints of
insufficient pressure, absence of water from taps, dirty water and so on had
been constantly highlighted in the press, both by government leaders as well as
individuals.
There are words that the
term of the current deputy director is supposed to end in April but had already
been re-extended by the Chief Minister’s department for another year.
The rationale behind this
extension must be explained to the people as there is no justification to
support his continued service given the various problems in the department.
Similarly, the director
himself should also be removed from the department and transferred elsewhere as
there had been so many reports of improper practices in the department.
One wonders how officers
could own Range Rovers, Sports Cars as well as mansions on the salary they are
drawing and this should be the concern of the MACC.
As a concerned citizen, I am
asking the Minister in charge of the department if he is ever aware of the
weaknesses in the Water Department or that he is also closing his eyes.
As the Minister, Pairin
should put his foot down on the errant deputy director for ignoring his
ministry’s directive on the transfer as it is already insubordination in
nature.
I also wonder if the deputy
director is withholding the transfer to pave the way for him to continue his
plans should the Sabah State government fall to the opposition.
One way or the other, Chief
Minister Musa Aman must check on his deputy Chief Minister’s weakness and act
accordingly so that the credibility of his government can be safeguarded.
Best Regards,
HAJI GUNDUL BENALIH
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