Federal govt ensures transparency in Sabah, Sarawak rights

TUARAN: The federal government will always ensure that every decision pertaining to the rights of Sabah and Sarawak is discussed in a transparent manner, including getting input from ministers of both states, says Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan (pix).
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak was concerned over the rights of the people of the two states by ensuring that the voice and view of all 12 federal ministers, namely six each from Sabah and Sarawak, were heard and given attention.
"I can state there were several Cabinet decisions (involving the rights and interests of Sabah and Sarawak) that we had objected to, but in the end, it was the prime minister who withdrew or delayed the decisions … this had never happened before.
"If there are matters involving the rights and interests of the Sabahans, we (the ministers from Sabah) will voice out without fear because we know that Najib listens to all views of the people in Sabah, via us," he told reporters after the ground-breaking ceremony of the Sungai Damit-Pekan Tuaran Bridge construction project here today.
Abdul Rahman said the construction of the concrete bridge spanning 104m across Sungai Damit would begin year-end to connect the Tuaran town with about 11 villages nearby and the small district of Tamparuli.
"If the residents took about an hour to get to the Tuaran town before this, the travel time will be reduced once it is completed and they can get there in just two minutes," he added. — Bernama