Sabah's infrastructure woes to be remedied with more autonomy over projects, says Bung

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s infrastructure-related woes are expected to be lessened with the Federal Government allowing projects below RM50mil to be handled by the state itself, says Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.

The Deputy Chief Minister said for Sabah, there are three main pressing infrastructure-related issues that need to be addressed immediately, which are water, roads, and electricity supply.

“With the autonomy to handle projects without bureaucracy and going through federal approval, we can expect to see development projects carried out faster for the benefit of the people,” he told The Star when contacted on Wednesday (Jan 4).

Citing an example, he said many rural roads that are unpaved are hard to access during the rainy season.

Bung also said that some 30% of villages in the state still were not equipped with clean water supply, while many rural areas do not have electricity supply.

“So this move is very much needed and can help a lot to change the lives of the people in Sabah,” he said, adding that the additional funding promised to speed up the Pan Borneo Highway project would also do a lot to improve the infrastructure and economy of the state.

Earlier, Bung mentioned the announcement by the Prime Minister as being timely.

He said Sabah and Sarawak can manage and plan their own development projects as needed in their respective states in line with Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

He said the federal government has the duty to provide fair and balanced development to Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.