SMK Nabalu

Masidi wants SMK Nabalu issue to be settled soon

Published on: Friday, June 24, 2011

Tuaran: Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun hopes the issue on the construction of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Nabalu, about 45 kilometres from here, will be settled this year.

"Politics here is taken in different situations, in fact the people in this State stick to promise and sincerity, if there are leaders (from outside) who can't fulfil their promises, don't make such statements in Sabah," he said.

"Don't make promises if they can't be honoured and I hope there are no more empty promises for Sabah people," Masidi said when asked to comment on the school's project, which still had not started since two years ago.Last week, the Sabah Kadazandusun Murut Welfare and Education Association (Pekadin) called on the Education Ministry to honour its promise to start construction of the school costing about RM45 million, this year.

Pekadin was quoted as saying after Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi made the announcement on Aug 21, 2009, that people in the area had high hopes that the school would become a realty.

"In sincerity, I say this is not being influenced by feeling of anger, but more out of frustration," Masidi said.

He said he had referred the matter to the Education Ministry which gave the explanation that the construction of the school was postponed due to a change in the tender.

"I was informed there's a slight technical problem on the issue, because when the school project was opened for tender, it had exceeded the approved financial budget and had to be re-tendered.

"When I was in Kuala Lumpur end of last year, I was told the change in the tender had been completed and during the recent visit by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, we have told him about it and the issue would be given due attention," he added.