KOTA KINABALU: Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) vice president Henry Saimpon has thanked the Sabah government for responding to the appeal for the needy student of SMK Tun Fuad Stephens, Arnie Jaliusih, to be given a scholarship.
Arnie obtained Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) 4.0 in last year’s STPM exam.
The student from Sinasag Kiulu was among the 10 recipients of the Sabah scholarship excellence awards presented by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor here yesterday.
Henry hopes that the scholarship will instill Arnie’s enthusiasm to succeed in the educational arena.
Last July, Henry appealed to the Sabah government, under the leadership of Hajiji, to offer a scholarship to the former student of SMK Tun Fuad Stephens.
Sympathising with the plight of Arnie’s family, who had to borrow money from the villagers to enable their daughter to attend the STPM outstanding student appreciation ceremony, the KDM vice president was quoted as saying that Arnie’s excellent achievements, despite being from a poor family, should be given special consideration to get a scholarship.
Henry, who comes from Bongol, Kiulu, hopes that Arnie, 20, the daughter of a rubber tapper’s dream of becoming a teacher, can be realised.
“I was very sympathetic and surprised when I read on the NST news portal (Thursday) about the hardships of Arnie’s family and that they had to borrow RM120 from the villagers to attend the appreciation ceremony.
“For me, the excellent students from Sinasag Kiulu deserve to be helped. There may be many more students who are in the same situation who are in need of assistance,” he said in a previous statement to comment on the NST news report.
Following the latest development, Henry said that the time has come for KDM Tuaran to intensify the “Reaching Out to the People Programme,” including the youth, to delve into and deepen the grievances of the people at the grassroots level, especially in the Kiulu and Tamparuli state constituencies, in the near future.
“In line with democratic principles, we are considering expanding our influence in Kiulu and Tamparuli as part of KDM’s preparations for the upcoming state elections,” he said.
