KARIM Bujang, the Warisan candidate for the Kimanis by-election, yesterday refuted allegations by Barisan Nasional that he had failed to develop Bongawan during his time as the assemblyman between 1990 and 2013.

Saying that BN only knew how to tell lies, he said several projects he implemented became the “talk of the town” in Bogawan, such as swiftlet nest industry.  

“At that time, I was an assistant minister in the state cabinet and I gave emphasise on the swiftlet nest industry. I learned about the industry during my visit to Indonesia between 2003 and 2004.

“I learned and built the first swiftlet houses in Sabah to help the locals increase their income, thus eradicate poverty,” he said at the Warisan district polling centre in Batu Enam. 

Other projects included tourism development in Binsuluk, Membakut, he said, adding that the fireflies remain one of the favourite activities for tourists from China, Korea and Taiwan.  

Meanwhile, to counter the accusations by the opposition on the Sabah temporary pass (PSS) issue, Warisan has been distributing pamphlets containing information over the matter at each of its talks.

Warisan’s bureau of information, multimedia and education secretary, Rapahi Idris, said the pamphlet is to give the true picture on the PSS, especially those in Kimanis, and its necessity in the state.

“This was also to let the people of Kimanis know that the PSS is not an identity card as claimed by some but rather an immigration pass with biometric security features to replace the IMM13 document, census certificate and the burung-burung card.

“The public may find it difficult to understand the implementation of the PSS if the information is only conveyed orally, so we have taken the initiative to distribute this pamphlet so that people can read and understand it,” he said in Kimanis.

In September 2019, the foreigner management committee in Sabah agreed to issue the PSS starting June 1 this year.

The PSS is to centralise records of foreigners in Sabah and is only valid for three years, renewable at a rate of RM120.

Normilah Salleh, 38, from Kg Kelatuan Batu Lapan in Kimanis said the pamphlet ensures that people in the area understand the implementation of the pass.

“The PSS issue has caused confusion among locals as some of them have been hearing or fed with inaccurate information. 

“To me, pamphlets like these are easier to understand as the information provided on PSS is simple and concise as to why it (PSS) is being implemented. This is a good approach to explain the issue now being questioned,” she said.  

The by-election is a straight fight between Karim, 67, and BN candidate Mohamad Alamin, 48, with polling on January 18 and early voting on January 14. – Bernama, January 9, 2020.