ENSURE RURAL DEVELOPMENT AGENDA CONTINUES – EWON

16 NOV 2020

KOTA KINABALU: Kadamaian State Assemblyman Datuk Ewon Benedick expressed his gratitude towards the State Government for continuing some of the rural development agendas he introduced previously.

Among them are Program Rumah Rakyat Sejahtera Sabah, Additional Economic Activity Programme, Alternative Rural Electricity Supply Programme, Alternative Rural Water Supply Programme and Sabah Village Profile Application System.

“These agendas are actually new initiatives introduced when Kadamaian was under the Sabah Ministry of Rural Development.

"Now we share the aspirations to ensure that the agenda can be continued to complete various other efforts to prosper the rural community in Sabah," he said on Monday.

On the PPRT New Housing Assistance Programme, Ewon, who is also the Vice President of the United Progressive Kinabalu Organization (UPKO), said it was a real need compared to the repair programme.

"It is true that the repair programme is still relevant depending on the structure of the building, but if you look at the performance of implementing agencies such as Giatmara with the target recipients and the work done, it is very sad when the repairs only involved changing the paint, and replacing roofs and some other equipment.

"It is not sustainable and does not provide long-term benefits. That is why I consistently urge for the new PPRT house construction programme to have more houses than the PPRT house renovation programme,” he said.

He explained that under the previous government, the ministry had introduced Rumah Sejahtera Rakyat Sabah, which is a programme to build new houses for the people of Sabah who are in dire need.

“The programme was implemented through and funded by the State Government itself. I hope the ministry does not forget the people of Kadamaian who really need this assistance,” he said.