KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has questioned what has happened with the RM3 million allocation approved by him last year to resolve the long-standing water woes at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), as students continue to face similar problems at present.
Expressing his concern, Anwar said that his intention was not to punish the contractor involved but to seek a detailed report on the matter.
“I read across social media that the higher education minister was welcomed by UMS students who did not bathe due to the lack of water supply.
“Last year, I went there and I heard their (the students’) concerns and immediately approved the RM3 million allocation.
“Now I don’t get it; perhaps the project is taking time.
“I want a detailed report on what happened since the finance minister approved all allocations related to water at the university,” he said when delivering his address at the Finance Ministry’s monthly assembly in Putrajaya today.
Yesterday, during the first working visit of the newly appointed Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir to UMS in Kota Kinabalu, he was greeted with a song from the students involved because they had not showered during his visit due to water problems on campus.
“Sorry, YB (Yang Berhormat), we haven’t showered yet,” said one of the verses of the song sung by a group of students involved.
At the same time, they were also seen holding placards with the words ‘Return our Rights’ and ‘Madani for whom?’ to express their problems on campus due to the lack of water supply.
On May 31 last year, during Anwar’s visit to UMS, he announced an allocation of RM3 million to solve the water problem at the university. – January 9, 2024