SABAH TODAY

BY SABAHTODAY
KOTA KINABALU: Six months has passed since Gabung Rakyat Sabah (GRS) took over power in Sabah but to date the Unit Pemimpin Pembangunan Masyarakat for N25 Kapayan has yet to open its office to serve the people.

And Jannie Lasimbang, the Assemblyman for Kapayan is fuming that her constituents have no place to go to to bring their grouses to.

“I urge the Peoples’ Development Officer, Lu Yen Tung, to hasten the establishment of his office to assist the people in the Kapayan constituency,” she said in a statement.

“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.”

Jannie said that during her term, the 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.

She also said that she has been receiving many complaints from the constituents related to infrastructure, basic social services, welfare services, and illegal squatters, to which she has done her best to respond despite a considerable reduction of staff at her DAP Service Centre/Pusat Perhubungan ADUN N25 Kapayan.

“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,” Jannie pointed out.

“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.

Stressing her disappointment with this slow pace to establish the UPPM, she said there was nothing good to show by the GRS government.

“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.

“I thank the Penampang District Council, Kota Kinabalu Municipal Council, SESB and other relevant departments for responding when we forwarded complaints,” she added.