"I owe Sabah," says PM Najib

I owe Sabah," said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak when launching the Kota Belud People's Housing Project (PPR) here today.

"I have once said that Sabah is Barisan Nasional (BN)'s fixed deposit. To me, Sabah is still BN's fixed deposit.

"Sabah has a lot of potential, and we (BN) must ensure that Sabah gets balanced development.. We (BN) has also not forgotten the deeds of the people to BN," he said.

Najib said that since assuming the prime minister's post six years ago, he had approved a lot of allocations and big projects in the state as he really wanted the landscape of Sabah to continue changing.

"I will come visiting Sabah more, especially the rural areas.

"The people in the rural areas are really loyal to UMNO and BN. Of course the BN government which they (rural folks) support will continue looking out for them," he said.

Najib also said he was impressed with the abilities of the leaders chosen from among the Sabah communities.

"There are people who want to weaken BN's 'fixed deposit'. But we have many warriors (leaders from Sabah) who are brave, principled and sturdy," he said.

He commended, among others, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman who was really determined to fulfill the needs of the people in the state; Minister of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, who is an intellectual speaker, and Sabah State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Salleh Tun Said, who had a sharp mind and was not afraid to voice out his thoughts.

Najib also said he was impressed with Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia as the Speaker of Dewan Rakyat.