KOTA KINABALU: It is not fair to say that Kota Marudu is one of the poorest districts in the country when it has gone through a lot of development, says Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili.
He also said since becoming their MP 28 years ago, he had brought in a lot of investment.
"The 'poor' status mostly refers to hill rice cultivators, mainly the Sonsogon tribe. Otherwise, lowland communities here can compete economically with any agricultural district in Sabah.
"But to be called one of the poorest districts in Malaysia does not fit the bill.
"People here have purchasing power, so we were able to attract big franchises to invest here.
"Kota Marudu today is a far cry from what it was before in the 1990s," he said in a statement on Wednesday (Nov 16).
The Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president also said that Kota Marudu has over 60 schools – from kindergarten to secondary levels as well as a vocational school and a community college.
"All these developments did not come by chance. We had it all properly planned," said Ongkili.
He also said that people from other districts were visiting Kota Marudu due to its development.
"People from neighbouring districts like Kudat, Pitas, Ranau and even Kota Belud travel here to shop, thanks to the upgraded roads like Jalan Marak-Parak and Jalan Gana," he said.
Ongkili is seeking to win the parliamentary seat for the seventh term under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) banner.
He will be up against Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat's Datuk Wetrom Bahanda, Warisan's Datuk Jilid Kuminding, Pejuang's Mohd Azmie Zulkiflee, Muda's Shahrizal Denci and independent candidate Norman Tulang.
