A new hall for Membakut, the new district in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: Membakut, which is known for its river cruises and fireflies, has been elevated to a full Sabah district.

And to usher in the achievement, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has pledged to reward the district, about 95km southwest of the state capital, with a new community hall.

He said it was only apt that Membakut gets a new community hall since the existing one was already dilapidated, as mentioned by Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Mohd Ariffin Arif, who is also the Membakut assemblyman.

“I give my assurance that Membakut will get a new dewan masyarakat next year,” he said during the commemoration of the occasion yesterday.

Membakut was gazetted as a full district on March 30, 2022.

The district consists of two state constituencies, namely Membakut and Bongawan.

Hajiji also signed the plaque commemorating Membakut’s elevation to full district status at the district’s secretariat.

Earlier, Hajiji, who is president of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat), launched the Gagasan Rakyat Membakut division at the Dewan Terbuka Membakut.

He reiterated that despite being a young party, formed seven months ago, Gagasan Rakyat has succeeded in setting up 73 divisions in Sabah and one in Labuan.

“We are proud that Gagasan Rakyat is able to mobilise its machinery efficiently.

“This is a good sign that Gagasan Rakyat and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) will do very well in the next election,” he said.

Hajiji said the seven-party GRS aimed to win the upcoming election, which is due in September 2025, as the ruling state coalition wanted to continue developing Sabah.

The GRS chairman was also glad to see that Gagasan Rakyat has been well-received by the people of Sabah who longed to be represented by a local party.

“As a multi-racial party, we (Gagasan Rakyat) will prioritise local and development politics. This is the best platform for our struggle for the sake of the people of Sabah.

“Gagasan Rakyat was formed to fulfil the aspirations of the people. We want to work together with other local parties in GRS,” he said.