KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is on track for spectacular growth as the SMJ road map enters its second year.
And, with the assurance from the federal government that focus would continue to be given to the development of Sabah as well as Sarawak, it wouldn’t be long before Sabah enjoys the kind of spectacular economic growth that will amaze even professional economists.
“This unfolding success reflects the genuine commitment of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) state administration under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor and the good relations it has with the federal government,” Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) deputy president Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai said.
The Star newspaper reported early this week that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told Parliament when tabling the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) Mid-Term Review that the focus would be on projects and initiatives under the 12MP.
The Prime Minister also said the federal government has proven its commitment to tackling issues related to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) which included the transfer of electricity regulatory powers to Sabah – expected to be finalised by January next year.
After that, the Sabah government will have the authority to regulate the supply of gas and electricity, Anwar said.
The Prime Minister added that renewable energy development projects as well as upgrades to the Gugusan Felda Sahabat electricity supply system totalling RM195 million all in all would improve electricity supply in the state.
Meanwhile Dr Yee, a former Deputy Chief Minister, said the GRS was now a force to be reckoned with.
He enthused that unlike back in the day when the state government was at the ‘beck and call’ of the federal government, Sabah today stood tall with its federal counterparts.
And, Dr Yee also said that the people’s yearning for genuinely local parties to govern Sabah became a reality when Hajiji successfully put together the GRS coalition in the most adverse of political situations.
The PBS is part of GRS – a seven-party coalition – which backed the formation of the national unity government following the general election last year.
“And, in Sabah, many good things had happened since Hajiji became Chief Minister three years ago following the 2020 state election.
“The long-awaited granting of certain powers and rights to Sabah as agreed upon in the Malaysia Agreement (MA63) finally became a reality,” he added.
Among other powers, the Federal Cabinet agreed to transfer full regulatory control of gas supply to the Sabah government and the latter would now also have the authority to approve any development project worth RM50 million or less without needing federal approval.
This never happened when Warisan was in power.
The SMJ roadmap outlines three main thrusts to develop the state from 2021 to 2025.
They are based on the SMJ slogan where S refers to the three main sectors of agriculture, industry and tourism; the letter M refers to human capital and well-being of the people while the letter J refers to green infrastructure and sustainability networks.
For the record, Sabah recorded revenues in excess of RM12 billion in the last two years alone.
