THE Sabah government is in the dark about talks suggesting the state will co-host the 2027 SEA Games.
State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, in expressing his surprise to this, said that the state government is unaware of such plans, let alone pledging RM100 million to assist the international sporting event.
“I’m not aware of this, and the state government has never made any such pledges,” Masidi said when approached at a dinner event last night.
His response came after federal Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh announced last week that Sabah had agreed to co-host the SEA Games and contribute RM100 million to assist in the event’s organisation.
Yeoh had previously noted that the total cost of organizing the SEA Games would be around RM700 million and aside from Sabah, Sarawak would contribute RM300 million and Penang RM15 million.
Sabah Umno when responding to the federal minister’s announcement raised concerns yesterday, arguing that the RM100 million could be better used to improve Sabah’s deteriorating infrastructure.
The party’s state information chief and Libaran MP Datuk Suhaimi Nasir said that Sabah also risks spending more in co-hosting the event, stating that on top of the RM100 million pledge, the state had to fork out more funds to upgrade existing sports facilities to meet international standards for hosting the event.
In response to these concerns, Masidi said, “This question of spending does not arise, as the state was not aware of this.”
Sabah Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ellron Angin did not respond to requests for comments on the matter. – September 3, 2024
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