KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will appeal to have approved development projects start as agreed if it is true that the Federal Government wants to delay initiatives that have yet to begin, says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
The Chief Minister said that he only learned about the planned postponement through news reports on Monday (July 18), adding that he has yet to get directives and an official report from the Federal Government on the matter.
“We have also not gotten any information on any postponement of projects,” he said during a question-and-answer session at the state assembly meeting here.
“But if it is true and we get the instruction or memo, we will try our best to appeal,” Hajiji added.
He said Sabah has delayed development and lacks the allocations for its infrastructure and other projects.
“It doesn’t sound right if the Federal Government wants to put on hold or delay giving the allocations agreed upon,” he added.
Hajiji said Sabah does not want to see any allocations stopped or any planned projects delayed anymore.
This was said in response to a question by Usukan assemblyman Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak, who asked whether the state government has been informed about this.
This comes after Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed was quoted as saying that the government was taking measures to save public expenditure by postponing or not continuing any project that has yet to commence.
He said the money was to be channelled for the welfare of the people, apart from efforts toward the country's economic recovery.
Mustapa said the move was in response to a directive issued via the Malaysia Treasury Circular - Guidelines on Public Expenditure Savings.
He added that if a project had already started, they would discuss which developments were needed, either to defer or cancel.
Mustapa said this at an event at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, in Kota Baru on Sunday (July 17).
