WARISAN OBJECTS BUNG MOKTAR'S PROPOSAL TO REVERT PAPAR DAM BACK TO PENAMPANG

6 JAN 2021

PENAMPANG: In an immediate response to the announcement made by Sabah's Work Minister, Bung Mokthar Radin yesterday to revert the Papar Dam back to Penampang, Warisan registered its objection to the said proposal with the former State Assemblyman for Moyog, Terrence Siambun stating his preparedness to once again lead the fight on the issue.

"Our stand had always been consistent that is, 'Moyog cannot continuously be making the sacrifices for others by allowing the second mega dam to be built at Penampang's largest green lung.

"Moyog is currently supplying treated water to hundred thousands of users everyday via the Kasigui Water Treatment Plant and Babagon Dam so other districts should equally bear the burden, hence, the reason why Kaiduan Dam was scrapped by WarisanPlus and replaced by Papar Dam," said Terrence who is also the Treasurer General for Warisan.

Terrence who was the Moyog Constituency State Assemblyman from 2013 to 2018 headed the Anti-Kaiduan Movement known as Project BANTAH that collected several thousands of signatures during a petition drive held in late 2013 and early 2014 after exchanges of tirades on the Kaiduan Dam issue happened between him and the then Work Minister, Joseph Pairin Kitingan.

"This issue on building another dam in Moyog goes beyond the normal argument about environment; this is about a small constituency that had been trampled and squeezed over and over again until it no longer has the land mass that it can be proud of.

"Perhaps the younger generation in Penampang aged 40 and below would not know it but the district used to be very large extending as far as Sepangar but perhaps due to some hidden agenda in the past in attempting to reduce it's dominance, years of slicing have made the district to shrink to become the present size'" he said.

"I find this trampling and squeezing to be very insulting and as leaders, our first and foremost responsibility is to protect the lands where we belong.

"So we will not allow anymore expropriation of land mass in Moyog more so when it is a prime green lung and if the GRS-led State Government is still adamant to proceed with the proposal, then Warisan together with its allies will do everything it can to stop it," he added.

According to Terrence, the party will fight the issue vigorously as they did when former chief ministers Musa Aman dan Pairin Kitingan were at the pinnacle of their power.

"Today, as the entrusted heirs, we will still be protecting the Moyog constituency," he concluded.