Luqman's musings

                                                               Luqman Michel <luqmanmichel@gmail.com> Jul 20, 2026, 6:22 AM (1 day ago) to feedback, reporters Dear Editor, I read with interest your recent coverage of Johnson Tee’s column on Sabah’s pothole crisis. His piece rightly described our crumbling roads as a national issue, but I wish to add further reflections on the deeper causes that keep Sabah trapped in this cycle.

                                                                      Bottomless Pit In his latest column for The Borneo Post (19 July 2026), Datuk Johnson Tee pulls no punches. Titled “The cost of the pothole: Why Sabah’s crumbling roads are a national crisis,” the piece lays bare a problem many Sabahans live with daily: roads so damaged they’ve become a genuine public safety and economic emergency . Tee highlights a staggering official figure — over 73,000 potholes recorded on federal roads in Sabah between 2023 and 2024, with thousands more since. Read the article here. LINK

  Datuk Roger Chin’s press statement today is powerful: “This is not about rights — it is about whether they will ever be honoured.”   He rightly slams the removal of binding timelines, warning that “complexity” should not become a permanent excuse for delay on Sabah’s 40% entitlement. Here is the full press statement. LINK    Yet in 2021, as Secretary of the Advocates Inquiry Committee, the same logic was not applied.

On 6 August 2025, I received a call from BIGoNS inviting me to attend a meeting on 12 August 2025.The meeting proceeded as scheduled. During the session, the chairman assured me that the minutes would be provided by the following Friday. Drawing from prior experiences with other government officials, where such documents have often been delayed, I proactively sent an email to BIGoNS on 13 August 2025, outlining the key discussions to ensure an accurate record. The following matters were discussed: Attendees were: Puan Siti Fairuz , Puan Jennifer, Puan Andrea , Enc. Fauzi , my wife Mariam and me. The meeting was chaired by Puan Andrea.

 Tatal kebawah untuk Bahasa Melayu. Attendees were: Puan Siti Fairuz, Puan Jennifer, Puan Andrea, Enc. Fauzi, my wife Mariam and me. The meeting was chaired by Puan Andrea. What a coincidence that Puan Andrea is the daughter of Datuk Abidin Madingkir who was the mayor who authorized the development plan (DP) attached to my son Faisal’s Sales and Purchase Agreement. Read my email to Abidin Madingkir. LINK

In yesterday’s Daily Express – Comments and analysis column I read a very informative article by Datuk Roger Chin. LINK Here are some salient points which Roger Chin dared to point out. The article: It has been more than 20 years since the law provided for an Appeal Board. Not constituting it after all this time is not just an oversight – it is an abdication of duty. Its time to end the silence and give Sabah the institutional recourse it has long been denied.