KOTA KINABALU: Star deputy president Datuk Robert Tawik criticized Sabah Umno youth chief Sufian Abdul Karim for blaming the Kota Belud rice granary project’s problems on the current state government.
“The issues are a legacy inherited from previous Umno-BN administrations who approved and managed the project.
“GRS is actively working on recovery efforts, including restructuring the Sabah Paddy and Rice Board and creating IADA Kota Belud, focusing on infrastructure like drainage systems,” he said.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});He accused Sufian of deflecting blame from past failures.
“Who approved the project without detailed planning? Who failed to resolve drainage and erosion issues? Now GRS tries to fix them, but gets blamed?”
Robert urged Sufian to “visit the site and see the efforts firsthand instead of making empty media statements,” emphasizing “the people want solutions, not old political blame games.”
He also noted food security challenges are nationwide, worsened by climate change and resource constraints, and called for “sustained efforts and long-term solutions, not cheap popularity stunts.”