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Sabah autonomy has become mainstream — SAPP BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo

Sabah autonomy has become mainstream — SAPP

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:54 AM PST

KOTA KINABALU: Sabahans have already succeeded in bringing the issue of Sabah autonomy into the mainstream of Sabah politics, said Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee.

He said this itself was already a breakthrough achievement for Sabah and the trend in Sabah and Sarawak was surging towards autonomy.

"Every political party, and some NGOs, have been forced to trumpet autonomy as their platforms. This is because the people of Sabah have made autonomy our central political objective. As a result, any party that dreams of winning the hearts and minds of Sabahans now must at least promise autonomy to Sabah, whether they (those parties) mean it or not," said Yong, whose party SAPP was the first to champion Sabah autonomy when it left the Barisan Nasional coalition government in 2008.

In his first comments about the prospects of Sabah in the new year, Yong said it is crystal clear now that no political party dare to speak against autonomy for Sabah, to the extent that even Malaya parties have to promise Sabah autonomy.

"Contrast this to five years ago when SAPP first called for Sabah autonomy, many political parties, including Umno, PKR and DAP had criticised SAPP claiming that Sabah autonomy is not possible.

"The reality of Sabah's political strengths in determining who forms the federal government has made it necessary for the Umno president/BN chairman cum Prime Minister to declare that Sabah autonomy is guaranteed in the 20 points spirit and the Malaysia Agreement. Dato Seri Najib had made this declaration while campaigning in April 2013 in Keningau where the Malaysia Day 'Oath Stone' is located. Pakatan leaders too made similar pledges of Sabah autonomy, even if it were only lip service," he said.

Yong pointed out Sabahans yearn to reinstate the autonomy, self-governing status of Sabah as an equal to Malaya, as promised in the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

The widening polarisation along religious and racial lines in Malaya, and the failure of economic management in the country with spiralling prices, a failed education system, illegal immigration and a host of hot issues have made Malaya lost its moral authority to lord over Sabah and be our masters, he said.

"Without autonomy and as long as Sabah leaders are subservient to their KL bosses, we have no prospect of finding effective solutions to our long standing problems," added Yong.

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KK malls to cut power usage

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:41 AM PST

by Chok Sim Yee. Posted on January 3, 2014, Friday

KOTA KINABALU: Major shopping malls in the city will follow their counterparts in the peninsula to cut down on their electricity usage by raising the air-conditioning temperature.

Centre Point Sabah (CPS) commercial management manager Linda Wong said the mall would raise the temperature of air-conditioning to 23 degrees Celsius. Previously, the temperature of the mall was maintained at around 20 degrees Celsius.

Wong said CPS paid between RM500,000 and RM600,000 in electricity bill each month, and air-conditioning made up around 70 per cent of the mall's electricity bill.

"We are the mall paying the highest electricity bill in Kota Kinabalu because we have many shops and offices."

Besides readjusting the temperature of air-conditioning, CPS has also changed all lighting to light emitting diodes (LED) to save energy upon completing its renovation last year.

The Malaysian Association for Shopping and Highrise Complex Management is advising its 400-odd members nationwide to set their air-conditioning at 23 or 24 degrees Celsius to offset electricity tariff hike.

Air conditioning, according to the association, takes up the largest share of energy – about 65 per cent – in commercial buildings.

Its president, H.C. Chan, said most malls in Malaysia are now too cold, with temperatures ranging from 21 to 23 degrees Celsius.

Suria Sabah leasing manager Tan King Way said the management would also make adjustments to reduce electricity usage in view of the hike in electricity tariff.

He said air-conditioning, escalators and lights made up the bulk of the mall's expenditure.

As electricity is costing more now, the expenditures will sum up to a larger amount, he said.

The mall is also reportedly paying over RM500,000 in electricity bill monthly.

Tan said the current temperature at the mall is maintained at around 22 degrees Celsius, but shoppers entering the mall might feel cooler or warmer due to the weather outside.

Nonetheless, the management would make adjustments to the temperature depending on the weather, whilst still ensuring the comfort of shoppers, Tan said, adding that keeping the temperature at 23 to 24 degrees Celsius should be fine.

Meanwhile, 1Borneo Hypermall director Raymond Fang said the management maintained the hypermall at 25 degrees Celsius all the while, which was well above the temperature advised by The Malaysian Association for Shopping and Highrise Complex Management.

"We have no problem complying with that (23 or 24 degrees Celsius advised by The Malaysian Association for Shopping and Highrise Complex Management).

"The lowest (temperature) we can go is 24 degrees Celsius," he said when contacted yesterday.

In addition, Fang said the hypermall had moved into LED lighting as well as using timers at remote locations.

"We are targeting to reduce (electricity usage) by 15 to 20 per cent in the next calendar year."

He added that the electricity tariff hike was a huge cost and burden to the mall.

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Four held for allegedly knocking down cop

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:41 AM PST

by Rebecca Chong. Posted on January 3, 2014, Friday

SANDAKAN: Three men and a teenage girl were arrested at Kim Fung Town here on Wednesday on suspicion of knocking down and seriously injuring a police officer with a four-wheel-drive vehicle in Kota Kinabalu.

The suspects are said to have fled to Sandakan in the white Toyota Land Cruiser with registration number SA767L after hitting the cop who was carrying spot checks in Kampung Air, Kota Kinabalu on December 20 last year.

The police officer suffered two broken ribs, said Sandakan police chief ACP Rowell Marong.

He said police detained the suspects, Ahmad Muhammad, 27, Sapie Rasad, 26, Jerry Abd Halim 20, and 15-year-old girl at 5.30pm at Block G Kim Fung Town after they saw the vehicle parked in front of the building.

The white Toyota was seized with a different plate number, SAB 6866 C, but with a road tax under plate number SA 767L.

Rowell said further investigations revealed that plate number SA 767 L was found in the vehicle. Also seized from the vehicle were house-breaking tools.

The police also seized a toy pistol, a knife, a laptop, five mobile phones and keys from the house where the suspects were detained.

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New Chinese school opens with 58% bumi pupils

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:39 AM PST

KOTA KINABALU: A total 57 students turned up at the newly opened SJK(C) Che Hwa Kolombong for the first day of school yesterday.

Twenty-four of them or 42 per cent are Chinese, 16 Muslim bumiputras and 17 non-Muslim bumiputras.

SJK(C) Che Hwa board chairman Datuk Michael Lui said the school only managed to open two classes in this new academic year as parents were still unfamiliar and lack confidence in the school.

However, Lui believed that SJK(C) Che Hwa was a new beginning and was confident that the school would do its best to educate students in the two classes to boost public confidence of the school.

"SJK(C) Che Hwa is a brand new school. I hope the headmaster will rise to the challenge and achieve good results.

"Student enrollment will naturally increase then," he said after visiting the school with the board of directors and school building committee here yesterday.

Although 58 per cent of the new students were non-Chinese, Lui said 90 per cent had received preschool education in Chinese, which was a prerequisite for enrollment.

Students at SJK(C) Che Hwa came from Penampang, Likas, Kolombong and Menggatal, among other places.

Lui, who is also Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKCCCI) president, said the headmaster had strategized plans to make SJK(C) Che Hwa a school of excellence.

"The board of directors are experienced individuals in Chinese education, some of whom are also SJK(C) Chung Hwa Kota Kinabalu board of directors," he said, adding that these factors would contribute towards achieving their goals.

Lui also urged the Public Works Department to improve the road leading to the entrance of the school for the sake of drivers.

SJK(C) Che Hwa, which sits on 6.8 acres of land in Kolombong, is expected to be developed to its full scale within 10 years, including a standard sports arena.

Lui said SJK(C) Che Hwa would be the largest Chinese primary school in Kota Kinabalu in 20 years, with 72 classrooms and could accommodate up to 3,000 students.

Besides the headmaster, the school has seven teachers, a clerk, two security personnel and two cleaning personnel. Six of the teachers are senior Chinese teachers, and one is a Malay teacher. Two of them have over 20 years of teaching experience.

The school will focus on the teaching of Mandarin at the initial stage to build a strong foundation of the language among the students, so that they can fully absorb learning materials when the subjects are taught in Mandarin.

To do so, the school is increasing the number of Chinese lessons by three hours, from 46 lessons to 52 lessons.

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Sabah autonomy issue has gone mainstream – SAPP

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:38 AM PST

KOTA KINABALU: Sabahans have already succeeded in bringing the issue of Sabah autonomy into the mainstream of Sabah politics, said Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee.

He said this itself was already a breakthrough achievement for Sabah and the trend in Sabah and Sarawak was surging towards autonomy.

"Every political party, and some NGOs, have been forced to trumpet autonomy as their platforms. This is because the people of Sabah have made autonomy our central political objective.

"As a result, any party that dreams of winning the hearts and minds of Sabahans now must at least promise autonomy to Sabah, whether they (those parties) mean it or not," said Yong, whose party SAPP was the first to champion Sabah autonomy when it left the Barisan Nasional coalition government in 2008.

In his first comments about the prospects of Sabah in the new year, Yong said it is crystal clear now that no political party dare to speak against autonomy for Sabah, to the extent that even Malaya parties have to promise Sabah autonomy.

"Contrast this to five years ago when SAPP first called for Sabah autonomy, many political parties, including Umno, PKR and DAP had criticised SAPP claiming that Sabah autonomy is not possible.

"The reality of Sabah's political strengths in determining who forms the federal government has made it necessary for the Umno president/BN chairman cum Prime Minister to declare that Sabah autonomy is guaranteed in the 20 points spirit and the Malaysia Agreement. Dato Seri Najib had made this declaration while campaigning in April 2013 in Keningau where the Malaysia Day 'Oath Stone' is located. Pakatan leaders too made similar pledges of Sabah autonomy, even if it were only lip service," he said.

Yong pointed out Sabahans yearn to reinstate the autonomy, self-governing status of Sabah as an equal to Malaya, as promised in the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

The widening polarisation along religious and racial lines in Malaya, and the failure of economic management in the country with spiralling prices, a failed education system, illegal immigration and a host of hot issues have made Malaya lost its moral authority to lord over Sabah and be our masters, he said.

"Without autonomy and as long as Sabah leaders are subservient to their KL bosses, we have no prospect of finding effective solutions to our long standing problems," added Yong.

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UMS to attempt record treadmill run

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:38 AM PST

by Murib Morpi. Posted on January 3, 2014, Friday

KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) will be attempting to create a record for the longest treadmill run in a group ever done in Malaysia.

Nine runners, including one athlete with disabilities, will be taking part in the record attempt this January 21, where they will take turns to run on the treadmill for 11 days or 264 hours straight.

If they succeed, UMS will be listed in the Malaysia Book of Records for the Longest Run On A Treadmill By Group category, a befitting gift for the university as it celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

Vice chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Mohd Harun Abdullah said the attempt would be held at 1Borneo Hypermall, to allow the public to witness and be part of the exciting moment.

"I am very proud with the effort, especially with the students taking the lead in the whole project," he said to reporters, noting that 98 per cent of those involved were all students from three faculties, namely School of Sports Science, School of Education and Social Development, and School of Medicine.

Harun said such brave effort would serve as motivation for other students and the UMS community as a whole to strive for greatness and excellence.

The record is currently being held by Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Samarahan, Sarawak Campus, who registered under the category in 2012.

The special athlete involved in the attempt, Abner Moilie, said he was all ready for the challenge, both physically and mentally.

"I have been preparing, practising for at least one and a half hour every day. I also look after my diet to ensure I'm in my best condition when I get on that treadmill," he said.

The 21-year-old second-year Sports Science student is visually impaired since he was a child but that did not stop him from being a crucial part of the huge project.

And that is not a surprise, given he was a bronze medallist in the long jump in the Youth Asian Paralmypic Games Japan 2009.

Earlier, Harun said the sponsorship for the project was from Adabi Consumer Industri Sdn Bhd.

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