AK Jamaluddin Pg Mohd Yassin
BONGAWAN: The credibility of Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for Bongawan seat Datuk Mohamad Alamin must be questioned as development in the area still falls short of the people’s expectations nearly two terms into his tenure as Kimanis Member of Parliament.
Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) Bongawan Youth Chief AK Jamaluddin Pg Mohd Yassin said this failure is clear, as even the promises Mohamad made during the 2020 Kimanis by-election campaign, namely the construction of the Kimanis Mini Stadium and the establishment of the Kimanis Community College, remain unfulfilled.
He said that although both projects were promoted as key initiatives to uplift youth, the reality is that after almost five years, residents of Kimanis and Bongawan are still waiting for promises that never materialised.
“The Kimanis Mini Stadium Mohamad promised was never built, while the Kimanis Community College, approved when Tan Sri Anifah Aman was Kimanis MP, also saw no follow-up action from Mohamad, resulting in it never being established.
“How can people trust new development promises when his track record shows repeated failures to deliver on commitments made to young people, the very group he claimed he wanted to empower?
“This is the clear difference between a ‘trendsetter’ leader like Tan Sri Anifah Aman, the GRS candidate for Bongawan, and Mohamad, who was once his protégé but lacks the capability to meet Bongawan’s needs.
“Therefore, how can he aspire to become Bongawan Assemblyman when even as Kimanis MP, development in Bongawan remains stagnant, made worse by his added burden as Deputy Foreign Minister,” Jamaluddin said in a statement here on Tuesday.
He claimed that because of this, many including Umno members in Kimanis, feel Mohamad is being “greedy” for insisting on contesting in Bongawan when the opportunity should be given to younger leaders.
He said Mohamad could still contribute to Bongawan through his existing role as Kimanis MP, since the parliamentary area also covers Bongawan, without needing to contest the state seat.
“When he has yet to fulfil his responsibilities and complete the promises he made as Kimanis MP, with many commitments still outstanding, why take on more by wanting to become the Bongawan assemblyman too?
“As Kimanis MP, he already has the ability to help Bongawan, including Membakut, so why insist on becoming the assemblyman? Greed often backfires.
“Let someone with far more experience, more time and stronger networks, such as Anifah, step in without needing to hold both MP and assemblyman positions. Previously, when Tan Sri Anifah was Kimanis MP, he had two different assemblymen assisting the constituency,” he said.
Jamaluddin said Mohamad’s shortcomings stretch beyond major projects, extending to current issues including the abandoned debris of old shop lots that burned down in Bongawan town.
He said the neglected site and the long-unresolved condition of the burned shop area clearly symbolise poor management and Mohamad’s lack of concern for real issues on the ground.
“This situation shows Mohamad lacks the ability to plan, lobby or ensure the implementation of development projects, even small ones.
“With a poor performance record, unfulfilled promises to youth and a lack of effort to address basic issues in his own constituency, he is not a suitable candidate to be given a mandate in the 17th state election,” he said.
Jamaluddin stressed that Mohamad’s weaknesses are further exposed by his reliance on top Umno national leaders to boost his campaign in Bongawan.
“This shows he depends on Peninsular leaders rather than his own capability or grassroots machinery made up of the Bongawan community.
“His reliance on outsiders clearly proves he lacks confidence in his own local machinery, made up of the people here, without a ‘rescuer’ from the peninsula.
“This development is also a blow to Sabah’s long-standing pursuit of political autonomy under the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“It also gives the impression that Sabah, particularly Bongawan, is running out of leaders to the point of needing outsiders to step in,” he added.
Therefore, Jamaluddin said, the people of Bongawan need a representative who is not only capable of serving the community, but also a patriot and a true champion of MA63, such as Tan Sri Anifah Aman.
He said Anifah’s longstanding struggle for the implementation of MA63 is well established, even when he had to “fight against the tide” during his tenure as Kimanis MP and as Foreign Minister under the previous BN government.
