Warisan MP laments Sabah's 'lowest' development rate

PARLIAMENT | Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Kota Belud) has expressed disappointment over the rate of development in Sabah, ranking in the lowest position compared to other states.

“I am saddened and disappointed because based on the response from the minister (in the Prime Minister’s Department), Sabah ranks the lowest among all states.

“As a Sabahan, I feel angry. It’s the lowest, to the extent that even programmes and projects in the state have only utilised 46 percent of the RM6.7 billion allocated.

“What is happening?” she said to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Earlier, Isnaraissah (above) questioned the role of the State Development Action Council and the State Development Action Committee in implementing projects in the state.

“I want to know the function of the State Development Action Council. What is the role of the State Development Action Committee? Not only are federal government projects implemented late, but even state-level projects are delayed.

“Let’s put aside bureaucracy and all protocols for now. Let us resolve this matter together. We need to find solutions to address this issue collectively,” she said.

She also stressed that Sabah MPs must be involved in quarterly meetings to resolve issues related to development projects.

Highest number of development projects

In response, Zaliha said Sabah remains among the states receiving the highest number of development projects.

“In fact, Sabah has many projects in progress - 1,244 projects - which is among the highest compared to other states.

“However, this also contributes to delays because the implementation capacity is relatively low,” she said.

Zaliha also agreed with the suggestion to involve MPs in the project development process, as is being done in the Federal Territories.

She noted that the Sabah State Development Action Council is chaired by Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.

“I agree that such an approach can be taken to engage MPs in development projects within their respective areas,” she said.

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