Latest news with #Munirah
Daily Express
09-08-2025
- Business
- Daily Express
MP on battery energy storage system: Why Sabah's cost RM300 million more?
Published on: Saturday, August 09, 2025 Published on: Sat, Aug 09, 2025 By: Abbey Junior Text Size: 'I heard that the Sabah BESS project costs RM650 million, while in the peninsula it's only RM300 million. The capacity is the same, the contractor is the same. So why is the cost so different?' Munirah asked. Kota Kinabalu: Kota Belud MP Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis has demanded transparency over the RM650 million Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project in Lahad Datu, questioning why it costs more than double a similar project in Peninsular Malaysia despite having the same capacity and contractor. Debating the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13) in Parliament, Munirah said she was shocked by the price gap and wants Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and Sabah Electricity to explain the justification behind the figures. Advertisement 'I heard that the Sabah BESS project costs RM650 million, while in the peninsula it's only RM300 million. The capacity is the same, the contractor is the same. So why is the cost so different?' she said. 'Is it true? If so, what is the technical and financial reasoning behind this decision? Sabahans deserve answers — this is public money we're talking about.' The BESS facility in Lahad Datu, located on Sabah's east coast, has been touted as one of Southeast Asia's largest energy storage systems, aimed at stabilising electricity supply in the region. However, Munirah said that strategic importance should not be used to mask questionable financial decisions. Advertisement She also criticised the RMK13 as unfair, saying it continues to sideline Sabah and Sarawak. 'Why not give half the budget to Borneo for once?' she asked. 'After 12 national plans, RMK13 still has no dedicated focus for Borneo. Not even one of the four strategic pillars mentions Sabah or Sarawak specifically. How long more are we expected to wait?' she asked. 'Would the country go bankrupt if, for once, half the national development budget was allocated to Sabah and Sarawak? Just for five years — what are we so afraid of?' Munirah said Sabah and Sarawak have for decades contributed to the national economy through oil and gas, and yet remain far behind in basic infrastructure, healthcare, education and income levels. 'We keep hearing about Borneo's potential, but the truth is we've already given so much. Now we need real political will to close the development gap.' On healthcare, Munirah said Sabah's system is already near breaking point, citing chronic staff shortages, poor facilities and delayed projects that continue to leave rural residents behind. 'What's happening to the new Kota Belud hospital? The Mantanani clinic? There's always some excuse or delay. People are suffering. Doctors are burning out. Nurses are overworked. And we're still waiting,' she said. She reminded Parliament that the doctor shortage in Sabah is not new and had existed long before the national conversation on contract doctors began. 'We've been warning about this for years. The pandemic only highlighted what we already knew — the gap between Sabah and the peninsula is massive.' On education, Munirah supported the RM67 billion allocation and the government's move to make preschool compulsory, but warned that throwing money at school buildings alone is not enough. 'Build schools with water, roads, electricity and internet. Otherwise, what are we really building? A classroom in the middle of nowhere that no one can reach?' she said. She also pushed back against federal planners who continue to use peninsula models like Sekinchan as the benchmark for rural development in Sabah. 'Sekinchan was developed with full planning. Kota Belud grew organically, village by village, generation by generation. Our irrigation systems must reflect that reality,' she said. Munirah called for pipe-based irrigation systems in hilly areas of Kota Belud and demanded immediate compensation for rice farmers in Piasau Sumpingon, who have been unable to plant paddy for seven consecutive seasons due to a poorly planned irrigation project. 'No one even consulted the farmers. The project disrupted their water supply, and now they can't earn a living. You can't postpone hunger. This is their only source of income, and it's been gone for years.' She said the government must not only compensate the affected farmers but also help them reopen fields that are now overgrown and unproductive. On fisheries, Munirah proposed turning Kota Belud into a deep-sea fish landing hub, using the old Ranko port and the Pan Borneo Highway for access — but said that potential is being blocked by the silted Sungai Abai estuary. 'I've raised this in Parliament over and over. The mouth of the river is too shallow. The upper stream is deeper than the estuary — and yet nothing is done,' she said. 'The fishermen are the ones suffering. Not the sand. Dredge the muara, not the hulu.' She also addressed the government's pledge to build one million affordable homes within 10 years but warned against sacrificing liveability for numbers. 'Don't let our people end up living in what feels like chicken cages. Set proper standards for home sizes. We don't want a Hong Kong-style housing crisis in Malaysia.' * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Heavily pregnant woman is dragged to her death by crocodile after it swam into her flooded home
A heavily pregnant woman was killed by a crocodile while cooking lunch at her flooded home in Indonesia. Munirah, 28, was standing in the swamped kitchen when the animal sank its fangs into her leg in North Kalimantan on Tuesday. The mother-to-be, who was only identified by her first name, screamed as the beast then tried to thrash her in a death roll. Hearing her pained cries, Munirah's sister Ana Maria rushed over and found her sibling holding onto a tree branch. She rushed out of the room to find a weapon with which to beat the huge animal, but it had already dragged Munirah into the water by the time she returned. Villagers searched along the Mambulu River. Footage shows several men firing a shotgun at the predator, but it retreated into the muddy waters. Around half an hour later, they found a lifeless Munirah body floating in the flood. Local police chief AKP Supriadi said: 'The victim died after being attacked by a crocodile. She was dragged away from her kitchen and drowned to death. 'She couldn't be saved. She was eight months pregnant and did not have the strength to fight off the crocodile. 'The crocodile released her, but she was already dead when her body surfaced.' The local disaster response agency (BPBD) confirmed the incident. Hasanuddin, head of the BPBD Rescue Division in Nunukan Regency, said: 'Yes, we received the report. The official documentation will be included in our daily report at 6.00 pm'. Munirah's residence was a stilt home flooded after the nearby Mambulu River burst its banks following heavy rain. Authorities suspect that the flood has caused crocodiles to move closer to human settlements, increasing the risk of attacks. Residents have been warned to stay vigilant, especially when carrying out activities near rivers or flood-prone zones. The Indonesian archipelago is home to 14 types of crocs - with a large population of extremely large and violent estuarine crocodiles that flourish in the region's climate. Conservationists believe that crocodiles have been driven further inland closer to villages due to overfishing reducing the crocodiles' natural food supplies combined with habitat loss from the development of coastal areas into farms. Widespread tin mining has also caused villagers to encroach on the crocodiles' natural habitats, pushing the creatures closer toward people's homes. Last year alone there were 179 recorded crocodile attack victims in Indonesia, the highest number of crocodile attacks in the world, with 92 fatalities, according to CrocAttack, an independent database. Residents and experts have called for better government interventions to stop the problem from getting even worse. The saltwater crocodile has been a legally protected species in Indonesia since 1999, making it an animal that cannot be hunted freely. As a top predator, there is also no population control in nature. Social media videos showing crocodile appearances and attacks in Sulawesi and other regions in Indonesia are also on the rise. Only last week a 13-year-old boy was killed by a crocodile in front of his friends as he tried to retrieve a football. Muhammad Syahputra Almanda was playing with his friends in a field next to their village in Jambi on Saturday. He had chased after the ball towards a nearby river, but was snatched by a huge 13ft crocodile as he bent down to scoop it up. 'He asked his friend to throw the ball into the water, and after it was thrown. He jumped in but he didn't resurface,' police said. 'Soon after, witnesses saw him in the jaws of a crocodile.'
