Election Eve Reckoning: Sabah Ministers, Where's the Action on My Vistana Heights Pleas? (Part 2)

 

Picking up from yesterday's post, where Sarawak's Minister Juanda Drowie shone a light on the "little Napoleons and Rasputins" poisoning public administration, let's zoom in on my personal trench warfare with Sabah's bureaucracy. With state elections looming at month's end, it's time to ask: Are our ministers asleep at the wheel, or just too cozy with the civil servants pulling the strings? My Vistana Heights ordeal screams for answers – and accountability.

Reflecting on Malaysia's anti-corruption push at the Vienna IACA conference (shoutout to Dato' Sri Azalina and Tan Sri Azam Baki for their 15% drop in cases via awareness drives), I can't help but feel the disconnect. National pledges for transparency and whistleblower shields sound great, but down here in Kota Kinabalu? They're as effective as a screen door on a submarine. My reports to the MACC's regional office? Polite nods, no traction. Over three years, a simple housing dispute ballooned into a parade of delays: fabricated documents for occupancy certs, whispers of political favoritism to developers, and L&S stonewalling basic queries.

Flashback to my August 19 email to the Director of Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam Negeri Sabah (JPA Sabah). I begged for intervention on the steep driveway nightmare (S9's platform at 106.26 feet vs. road at 101.87 feet – a 4.39-foot drop that's a deathtrap), the missing retaining wall, and survey discrepancies (where's that 31.05m road height in Terra Firma's as-built?). JPA guidelines, splashed in The Star on June 10, preach "discreet resolution" of public woes. Instead? Conflicting civil servant tales – DBKK denies authority, LJS flips the script – and zero delivery on that June 2023 spot level survey I've chased since last year.

Then, the August 18 email to DBKK's Director General: No dice on the L&S chairman's court-dodging retort. And the BIGoNS meeting on August 12? A glimmer of hope – Puan Andrea (chair, and yes, daughter of ex-Mayor Datuk Abidin), Puan Siti Fairuz, and team pored over my translated emails from June-July. They spotted the minute alterations (retaining wall from "proposal" to "need" post-meeting) and agreed to probe DBKK by week's end. But frustrations mounted: They hadn't read my morning email, claimed the case "settled" based on DBKK's say-so (it's not!), and glossed over the 2018 "retro-approved" development plan for a finished project. I even floated a RM300,000 settlement to avoid court by October 2 – developer, architect, engineer, DBKK foot the bill for devaluation and losses. Crickets.

My August 14 follow-up to BIGoNS? Urging them to log whiteboard math from June 11 (proving height fraud since 2011 plans) and the 1995-2011 blueprint mismatches. Still waiting on those minutes. It's a pattern: Postponed Housing Ministry huddles, unanswered pleas to Datuk James Ratib on "dishonesty without intent" (come on – certifying ghosts isn't accidental), and a system where civil servants, shielded by ordinance loopholes and politician apathy, hold all the cards.

Who protects them? A toxic brew of outdated laws (like that 1960 Surveyors Ordinance), inter-agency finger-pointing, and ministers more focused on photo-ops than follow-through. How do they wield power? By weaponizing "process" – endless verifications, vague replies, and that killer line: "Go to court." It's exhausting, designed to wear you down until you quit.

But here's the rub: Elections are days away. Sabah's ministers – from Housing to Local Government – have ignored my cries while Sarawak nips these issues in the bud.

Is it time to replace the politicians? Absolutely. Vote for those pledging real reforms: Mandatory timelines for complaints (14 days max, per JPA ideals), public dashboards for survey releases, and zero tolerance for minute-tampering. No more "Rasputins" whispering favors; let's demand MACC outposts with teeth and ministers who show up.

Vistana Heights neighbours, Sabah readers – this is our moment. Tag your reps, share this series, and let's turn election buzz into action. What's one change you'd demand? Drop it below. Together, we can evict the little emperors and reclaim our trust.

Stay tuned – more updates as the polls heat up. Justice for Vistana, justice for Sabah.