KOTA KINABALU: At least five major projects along the Sabah-Kalimantan border approved under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) – which is expiring soon – have yet to take off, claims Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
The Parti Warisan president said some projects in the border districts of Nabawan and Kalabakan had been approved but no work had been done on them.
Among the projects, he said, was a General Operations Force post, a road from Pagalungan to Bantul as well as a new road from Kalabakan to Simanggaris at Kalimantan border.
"There has been approval for the road from Nabawan to the border and there and also allocations – but what has happened? It has been five years, the project has not moved," he said during a meet-the people session in the interior Nabawan district on Sunday (Aug 24).
Mohd Shafie said it was not just important to get capable contractors for the job but implementers must also ensure the contractor has the capability to carry out the project.
He said some contracts are given to companies without any links to Sabah, who in turn sub-contract it to local companies.
He said it was important to give such contracts to capable local companies that already have a presence in the state with machinery, manpower and access to materials to carry out the job.
Mohd Shafie said when approving major contracts, the Finance Ministry should not rely on a company's financial capability as the sole criteria.
He also said contractors who failed to get their projects off the ground or make proper progress should be terminated.
