Well said.....

Thursday, March 20th, 2008
Cabinet presence no guarantee for growth By Zora Chan
I perform for the people, that’s why Santubong has progressed: Junaidi
KUCHING: More representation in the Malaysian cabinet does not guarantee greater development and growth in Sarawak.
But sincerity, hard work and determination of every elected representative do, said Santubong Member of Parliament Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar yesterday.
“Development has nothing to do with more cabinet appointments,” he told reporters here when asked if the new cabinet line-up featuring more Sarawakians augured well for development in the state.
Junaidi was quick to point out that those who had served in the cabinet before had been slow in delivering what the people wanted like the upgrading of village roads, drainage and irrigation systems and schools.
He said although he had served Santubong for only three-and- a-half years in the last term much had been achieved because he was close to the grassroots leaders and voters, and was very persistent in his requests for more development funds from the government.
“I’ve performed but not for the election. My focus has always been on the service to the people and the people including community leaders are happy with me.
“If you are really concerned about the people and appreciate the people, you don’t have to worry about election. Election will come by itself and you will be rewarded by your voters,” he added.
He said he would not change his style of serving the people despite post-election analysis pointing that development no longer guaranteed a vote from the people, adding that most of his constituents demanded more physical development
As such, Junaidi urged ministers and their deputies to go to the ground more often to know the real situation and needs of the people.
Citing an example, he said if the Education Minister failed to know the conditions of schools throughout the country within six months from now, the latter would not be suitable to be a minister.
“As a minister, you don’t just sit on the chair. You have to go to the ground and check on schools to see what they lack,” he added.
He added that it was pointless to talk about ICT usage if a school had yet to have electricity.
The MP said he was confident that the new cabinet line-up would be able to do the job well although many of the ministers and deputy ministers were new faces and some first term MPs.
“I think they will do quite alright given that they are just dealing with internal affairs, but for those required to liaise with other countries, they need to be knowledgeable.
“I believe after serving in their respective ministries for a year they can catch up with the job,” he added.
Earlier, Junaidi accompanied by community leaders from Kampung Bintawa Hulu, Bintawa Hilir and Bintawa Tengah visited a completed road project in the area.
He said the RM1.438 million-project started in 2006 and completed sometime in 2007 and would be continued in stages within the next five years.
The whole road project covers a distance of nine kilometres, and the fund for it came from the Rural and Regional Development Ministry.
About 80 per cent of the dilapidated plankwalks in the area had been replaced with tar-sealed roads in, he said, adding that those replaced served as main roads in the villages not lanes to individual houses.