KOTA KINABALU, SABAH – United Sabah National Organization (USNO) president Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia is confident Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) will go the extra mile in coalescence.
The former Dewan Rakyat speaker said politics is nothing new to him seeing ten different Sabah Chief Ministers and three Prime Ministers come and go throughout his career.
“I want to join (GRS) because I believe I can contribute to the alliance…
“It is due time leaders of this state rethink issues affecting the people of Sabah as a whole and not just that pertaining their own personal interests.
“Whatever it is politically or otherwise Sabah must start now or face falling behind in the race with its neighboring countries,” he said.
Pandikar who was elected Sabah BIMP-EAGA Business Council (BEBC) Special Envoy early this year said that task was personally entrusted upon him by Sabah Chief Minsiter Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
“He told me during the 27 odd years of BIMP-EAGA’s existence there has been no significant changes and he does not have to tell me why.”
Pandikar compared the council’s hierarchy here to Sarawak and it seems that BIMP-EAGA is more of importance to the latter in the sense of unimpeded access.
“In Sabah, the BEBC must first go through the Deputy State Secretary meanwhile in Sarawak it goes directly to the State Secretary…
“So my job now is to identify these hurdles and speed up the process of interacting with the Chief Minister’s department.
“My plan as Special Envoy is to fulfill the promise held between the East ASEAN countries involved.
“This first requires maintaining the diplomacy and following endorsements from the federal government,” he told reporters.
Pandikar lauded Hajiji for his openness which “subsequently leads to efficiency”.
He was speaking at the first BEBC meeting as Special Envoy with a delegation representing six major districts here.
Among issues discussed was an unused jetty in Kudat supposed to be link to Palawan, Philippines funded by the previous federal government for a cool RM 7 million.
