Monday, January 28, 2008

MONDAY-28TH JANUARY 2008-WWF-MALAYSIA SABAH GIVES FEEDBACK ON CORRIDOR

WWF-Malaysia Sabah gives feedback on Corridor

KOTA KINABALU:

WWF-Malaysia Sabah has given its feedback on the much talked about Sabah Development Corridor (SDC). According to its chief technical officer for WWF-Malaysia Borneo Programme, Dr Rahimatsah Amat they were consulted on the mega project in September last year and had given their response. “There were a few empty pages which needed our input. We did not want to have just a chapter on environment and believe that it must be cross cutting,” he said to reporters when asked to comment on WWF-Malaysia’s view on SDC during the luncheon dubbed “An Afternoon with WWF—Malaysia” here, yesterday. Rahimatsah however said that they have yet to see documents pertaining to the project and declined to comment further. “I do believe that the Government has consulted every people concerned over the project, and as the Chief Minister (Datuk Seri Musa Aman) has promised, it would be beneficial to Sabah,” he said. SDC is set to be launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Jan 29 here. The 18-year development project is set to bring Sabah out of its poverty cocoon and is destined to accelerate the State’s economic growth and catch up, if not at par, with other states in the peninsula. Three principles have been lined up to guide all the development projects in Sabah under SDC which are eradicating hardcore poverty, ensuring environmental conservation and capturing higher value activities in industries. SDC, according to Musa, is in line with the State Government’s halatuju. “We want to make Sabah, through SDC, one of the most livable places in Asia with its diverse cultural offerings, heritage, quality of life and a clean environment. It would offer something unique to both the local residents and also foreigners,” he said.