More radical strategies needed for Sabah, S'wak under 12MP, says Tok Mat

SEREMBAN: There have to be more radical development strategies for Sabah and Sarawak under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) as the region has tremendous potential to become the country's new economic powerhouse, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (pic).

The Umno deputy president said although the 12MP tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was in line with Malaysia's various development strategies, Sabah and Sarawak needed double investment and allocation as they had a wide geographical area.

"Overall, the direction of the 12MP, which is based on the concept of a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable Malaysian Family, is clear.

"However, it is important to have strategies to reduce the economic gap in the country as there are significant gaps between states and regions.

"As such, the development strategy for Sabah and Sarawak has to be more radical as the region has a very wide geographical area and tremendous potential," he said in a Facebook post Tuesday (Sept 28).

He said every Malaysian from Perlis to Sabah must enjoy the benefits provided by the 12MP.

Mohamad added that the 12MP should have also sparked an agricultural and fisheries revolution that Malaysia desperately needed.

He said the potential of Malaysia's agricultural, livestock farming, food production and fisheries sectors were not on the radar of important national development priorities although the country has large and rich natural resources.

"The national food security agenda should be strengthened by driving Felda as a leader in smart agriculture and national food production, while reducing dependence on the oil palm industry.

"Exploration of the maritime economy should also be a priority because the source of wealth of the South China Sea is so large that it has become a field of territorial disputes of various countries," he said.

As for the country's healthcare sector, Mohamad said its modernisation should go beyond physical infrastructure investment including the construction of more hospitals as well as upgrading the quality of government hospitals.

In addition, he said, the government needs to allocate more funds to redouble specialist training, introduce a sustainable health financing system, enable various health research and intensify disease prevention strategies.

Mohamad said although the emphasis given for the various digital infrastructure was timely, there were no new mega-scale infrastructure projects introduced in the plan.

Citing an example, he said the development of various modes of mega-scale national rail system should be introduced as various districts and regions in Malaysia are still not connected to high-speed transport.

"Major cities such as Johor Baru and Penang are still not connected to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore via the high-speed rail system.

"Advanced infrastructure will be the foundation of a modern economy and a developed society," he said.

He said it was also crucial for the government to take into account the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has cost Malaysia almost two productive years and caused a decline of the middle class and the doubling of the absolute and hardcore poor.

"Therefore, this plan must be implemented taking into account all these declines. It must be aligned with a recovery strategy to restore the status quo of Malaysia before a leap is appropriately targeted," he said, adding that based on his own estimates, Malaysia has experienced a depreciation of development value of between five and eight years.

Mohamad said the government also needs to be transparent and explain how the 12MP will be funded.

"A good plan will only produce the best impact with sustainable funding as the country's revenue has been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"With the country's debt almost reaching 65% of the GDP and growth stunted over the past two years, the success of the 12MP is highly dependent on its funding," he said, adding that this will make the plan both realistic and feasible.