KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government must be firm in delivering basic services to the people and end the cycle of empty promises, says an Opposition assemblyman.
Samuel Wong (Warisan-Luyang) said repeated budget promises to fix basic services have brought no change for ordinary people who still face poor roads, water supply issues, electricity disruptions and faulty street lighting.
"These failures reflect systemic governance weaknesses. Sabah does not lack resources – it lacks execution and determination," the first term assemblyman said during the debate on the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Musa Aman's speech at the Sabah State Assembly on Tuesday (April 28).
He noted that the delivery of Sabah's basic services had failed to reach the people despite billions of ringgit allocated in annual budgets over successive governments.
Economically, he said Sabahans were paying more for basic food items compared to Peninsular Malaysia, giving the example of eggs costing up to RM19 per tray and chicken up to RM15 per kilogram.
Wong said that Sabah needs to strengthen food security and build Sabah's own brands as planned under the 10-year agricultural blueprint introduced in 2019 to reduce imports.
He said that many young Sabahans are leaving for jobs in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and abroad due to limited opportunities at home.
He called for quality job creation in downstream industries, manufacturing and the digital economy with support for youth entrepreneurship and creative sectors.
He said it was also important for the state to introduce fresh tourism products beyond traditional hotspots and undertake stricter enforcement against illegal tour operators.
On healthcare, he urged the government to give better incentives to retain and attract medical professionals as the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Luyang Health Clinic here has a severe doctor shortage and overcrowding.
