Following the introduction of the JENDELA plan, Sabahan Senator Datuk Donald Peter Mojuntin had raised a question in Dewan Negara on the status of the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP). The plan was supposed to improve mobile coverage which would greatly benefit people in rural areas in Sabah including Veveonah Mosibin.
Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin responded that the government is in the midst of increase 4G coverage from 91.8% to 96.9%. He said 3.1% of areas will not be able to get coverage.
He added there are areas with “blind spots” even in urban areas and some areas are not economically feasible for telcos to upgrade. He also shared that there are several reasons for “blind spots” including hills as well as vandalism and theft of generators and cables.
The Deputy Minister also said that based on investigations, Veveonah wasn’t taking an exam and she’s just a YouTuber. He urge everyone not be easily deceived. He repeated again that there wasn’t an exam and she’s just doing it for fame. He said that she’s famous for a short period and she recorded the video just to gain attention.
Before wrapping up his answer, he urge the Senator to report any coverage issues to the Communications and Multimedia Ministry, and they will attend to it especially when it comes to education and business. You can watch the Dewan Negara session here from the 8:00 marker.
The question on whether NFCP will be continued remains unanswered. That was the same question we had when JENDELA was announced by the Prime Minister during the weekend.
The concerns raised by the Senator was important especially when Sabah was supposed to be the biggest beneficiary of NFCP Phase 1 which was expected to be completed in Q2 2021. The project was approved last year with 50 out of 152 sites planned for rural areas of Sabah.
After Veveonah’s video went viral, MCMC had acknowledged that her location has 3G coverage and a new tower will be erected close to her village which will improve her connectivity.
It is unbecoming for a Minister to attack a student over a simple question on the NFCP. Regardless of whether she has an exam or not, the fact remains that her area had poor connectivity. Dzamira and Ray had recently visited Veveonah in her village in Pitas and you can read all about it here.
