Red tape and paperwork are delaying the implementation of many rural projects in Sabah despite the allocations being approved by Putrajaya, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, said these delays can take up to two to three years before the projects see light.
He did not specify the exact number of stalled projects in Sabah but simply said there were "many" while he revealed the state as being the highest recipient of allocation with RM1.41 billion.
“We are now engaged in coordination efforts between the state and federal to seek avenues to expedite the projects without compromising the procedural integrity,” he said after chairing the Rural and Regional Development Ministry coordination meeting with rural executives all over Malaysia, in Kota Kinabalu, today.
These are the procedures set out by the finance and economic ministries which involved land acquisition and other preliminary work.
Ahmad Zahid said these procedures were not only lengthy and non-transparent, but also caused many of the Federal government projects which were approved last year to stall.
In the case of Sabah, the RM1.41 billion allocation under the rural and regional development ministry was for 295 programmes and projects.
Out of this number only 70 projects were new and the rest were continuations of projects set out under the 12th Malaysia Plan, with the overall cost of RM17.8 billion.
More than RM1.06 billion from the total allocation were made for the implementation of 224 infrastructural projects like roads, bridges, water supply, electricity supply and area development projects in the rural areas. – The Vibes, May 10, 2024.
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