SIPITANG: The mega industrial project, Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park (SOGIP), stands as clear evidence that UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN) had a long-term vision and structured plan to bring real development to rural areas like Sipitang.
In a speech during the Radu Tatap Radu program held in the Sindumin state constituency today, UMNO Sabah Treasurer Datuk Seri Dr. Salleh Said Keruak emphasised that SOGIP was not a spontaneous initiative or the result of other parties’ struggles, but rather the outcome of deliberate policies and strategic planning by the BN-led government at both the state and federal levels.
“When SOGIP was planned and initiated, the Chief Minister of Sabah was Tun Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman (now the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah), the Member of Parliament for Sipitang was Datuk Sapawi Ahmad from UMNO, and both the state and federal governments were led by Barisan Nasional. This is fact, not fiction,” Salleh stressed.
He also took aim at certain parties—including former UMNO leaders who have since joined local-based parties—who are now attempting to ride on the success of the project and create the impression that only local parties were responsible for development in Sabah.
“We do not reject local parties, but we must not erase facts and history. SOGIP was the result of a national development plan for Sabah, and it was BN that implemented it. Don’t come later to claim credit for what others initiated and delivered.”
The statement serves as a reminder to the public not to be swayed by misleading narratives but instead to evaluate based on proven records and real development outcomes that have improved lives on the ground.
Salleh added that UMNO and BN remain committed to delivering development based on careful planning and sound strategy—not empty rhetoric.
Projects like SOGIP should be viewed as a model of successful collaboration between national and state leadership, grounded in facts and driven by results, he said.
Also present was Tuan Hj Abd Rahman Mohd Noh, Chief of UMNO Sipitang Division.
