KOTA KINABALU: Six months has passed since the GRS took over power in Sabah in September last year.
However, to date the Unit Pemimpin Pembangunan Masyarakat or UPPM with its team of Community and Mukim Development Officers for N25 Kapayan has yet to open its office to serve the people.
As such, State Assembly person for Kapayan Jannie Lasimbang urged the Peoples’ Development Officer, Lu Yen Tung, to hasten the establishment of his office to assist the people in the Kapayan constituency.
“I understand that appointing leaders may take time, but if it gets too long it becomes unacceptable. If the government is concern about the well-being of the rakyat, the Kapayan UPPM should be already be operating.”
“During my term, my UPPM office was up and running five months after the Warisan government was formed despite challenges such as the lack of permanent administrative positions and having to train new officers” added Jannie.
“I have been receiving many complaints from the constituents related to infrastructure, basic social services, welfare services, and illegal squatters, which I have done my best to respond despite a considerable reduction in the number of staff in my DAP Service Centre/Pusat Perhubungan ADUN N25 Kapayan,” she said in a statemement on Wednesday.
She said: “My team’s intervention made it possible to get remedial actions related to basic social services and social welfare issues but more complicated and costly infrastructural problems warrant the UPPM interventions”
“Being an opposition ADUN means I am also not privvy to all the new development programmes for my constituency and even removed from the Natural Disaster WhatsApp group where I used to get updated on information on floods and other disasters to pass to the rakyat.
“I am very disappointed with this slow pace to establish the UPPM. Supposedly, the UPPM should exist as soon as possible immediately after the new government was in place and begin to work immediately since they are the one who is more connected to the government and therefore responsible to handle people’s complaints,” she said.
In this respect, Jannie thanked the Penampang District Council, Kota Kinabalu Municipal Council, SESB and other relevant departments for responding when we forwarded complaints.
“I hope in future the administrative system in Malaysia can be changed in the manner that allows all elected opposition assemblypersons and MPs to be able to provide inputs to the government and represent their constituents where necessary,” she added.
