Promising future in Kudat

Loud applause rang out at the sports complex in this idyllic northern coastal town each time Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak pledged to carry out a project or an upgrade for Kudat.

Tens of thousands who turned up for the launch of the state-level Janji Ditepati programme cheered when the Prime Minister made the pledges.

Kudat MP Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman were all smiles with the package pledged by Najib, which breached the RM1bil mark.

Among the crowd, Rungus villager Rumpian Uliah was excited and shouted with pleasure when Najib touched on the study being carried out on a RM800mil coastal highway from Tuaran linking Kota Belud to Kota Marudu to Kudat town.

“Ba, bagun kan tu (Isn't that just great?),” he said with a toothy grin as others around him nodded in approval.

Najib said the Government would study the implementation of the project first before proceeding as he felt that it was beneficial to the people, adding that the highway would open up more opportunities for the people.

The Prime Minister said in his speech that Kudat was the first state capital and that the least the Barisan Nasional Government could do was to ensure it could develop into a prosperous region.

“There is every reason for us to ensure the development of Kudat,” he said, adding that it was the birth place of Sabah's independence leader, the late Tun Mustapha Datu Harun and Usno which dissolved for Umno's entry in 1991.

He said with the peace deal between the Philippines and Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Kudat was poised to benefit from the East Asean Growth Area (EAGA) and as such, a CIQ (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine) would be built in the near future to boost trade.

Najib said steps would be taken to build a new township at Kerakit town in Pulau Banggi, housing for the poor, upgrading the district hospital, a new mosque for Kg Ayer and rural roads, while electricity and water supply for the rural areas would be boosted.

The Prime Minister, who completed a two-day visit to Sabah yesterday, said RM2.98bil had been allocated in Budget 2013 for various development projects, including a padi granary for Kota Belud, to boost its status as a rice bowl area.

“Barisan can bring more development for Sabah,” he said, while giving assurance that the develop- ment agenda would be kept even if elections were held this year or next.

Source: The Star