State, Federal govts urged to show political will in resolving flood problem
KOTA KINABALU: The latest flood situation in Sabah presents a chance for the state and federal governments to demonstrate a stronger political will in wanting to resolve the recurring problem, says Parti Solidariti Tanahairku (STAR) Sepanggar parliamentary chief Kenny Chua.
He said the latest episode of floods that have hit many areas and forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes and thousands stuck in traffic due to flooded roads, must be treated as the last straw.
“People have had enough with reading about the government flood mitigation plans now and then in the media yet they continued to face the same problem. Whenever we hear their cries, we know full well that they want results or at least some improvements.
“This is the chance for the GRS (Gabungan Rakyat Sabah) state government and the federal government to show that they have a stronger political will to resolve this recurring problem.
The latest flood situation must be treated as the last straw. It is time to act,” he said in a statement after assisting flood victims in Inanam, Saturday.
Chua, who is also the former Inanam state assemblyman, however expressed confidence that both the GRS state government and the federal government are seriously looking into resolving the problem.
“But let's make this a top priority because we just don't know when the next floods are going to hit. We used to experience seasonal floods once a year. Now it's hard to say. It seems it can occur twice in a year or more,” he said.
He noted that many leaders from both the political divide have spoken about the flood issue over the years.
“But I do think that it comes down to having a stronger political will to resolve this problem. With a political will, the government would allocate all the financial resources to ensure that mitigation plans would get implemented.
“Having the financial resources would also allow the government to bring together as many parties including flood experts on one table to find the best solution possible to this problem,” he added.
On this note, Chua concurred with Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan who, in October last year, suggested that Sabah would be able to resolve recurring flood problems should the federal government return its revenue rights.
Kitingan had said that one example was to return 40 per cent of Sabah's net revenue to the state, collect five per cent sales tax on petroleum products in Sabah, and a share of five per cent cash payment under the Petroleum Development Act 1974.
The Parti Solidariti Tanahairku (STAR) President had also proposed that the government must act comprehensively and not in “bits and pieces”.