KOTA KINABALU – The state government will not hesitate to take action against “little Napoleons” in the civil service who stand in the way of the Sabah Maju Jaya initiative, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
Speaking to a delegate of businessmen from the Sabah United Chinese Chambers of Commerce (SUCCC) today, Hajiji said the initiative has to run immediately and smoothly.
“I have informed State Secretary (Datuk Seri Safar Untong) to make this known to all civil service personnel. We don’t want to see the ‘little Napoleons’ hampering our efforts to bring in development and investments to Sabah.
“We have formulated policies to facilitate investments to Sabah and we want to make it conducive for investors to invest in Sabah,” he said after hearing the views and suggestions posed by the association here.
Earlier this month, the chief minister had called on the public sector to cut bureaucratic red tape to facilitate investments into the state.
It is also the second time the chief minister has issued such a warning. Previously, Hajiji had criticised the civil service for withholding aid meant for those affected by the pandemic during the lockdown.
In the meeting with the SUCCC, led by president Tan Sri Andrew Liew, the construction of the Pan-Borneo Highway was also discussed, and Hajiji gave his assurance that the implementation of the project will be expedited.
He said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, during his visit to Sabah recently, said the project will be hastened via a private funding initiative. – The Vibes, March 31, 2021
