A HARROWING account of villagers in Kg Mentapuk being forced to transport a coffin by boat across a river due to the lack of safe access roads has highlighted enduring infrastructure deficits in rural Sabah, the State Legislative Assembly was told.
Former Sabah finance ministry permanent secretary Datuk Rusdin Riman said the incident was emblematic of deeper inequalities still affecting communities in constituencies such as Paginatan, where essential infrastructure remains inadequate despite the state’s “Sabah Maju Jaya” development agenda.
“Success is not measured by slogans or documents, but by how far development is felt in the villages,” Daily Express quoted him saying during debate on the state government’s policy speech, noting that nearly 45 per cent of Sabah’s population continues to live in rural areas.
He stressed that rural residents were not seeking special treatment, but only basic necessities including reliable road access, clean water, electricity supply and fair economic opportunities for their children.
Rusdin said persistent issues in Paginatan remain centred on roads, water and electricity supply, with several villages still lacking roads officially maintained by the Public Works Department.
He added that poor connectivity continues to restrict access to education, healthcare and livelihoods, arguing that rural poverty is often driven by isolation rather than lack of effort.
Highlighting the scale of hardship, he said 927 households in Paginatan are currently classified as poor, with limited infrastructure trapping many families in long-term economic vulnerability.
He also cited the collapse of a bridge over Sungai Melaut, which severed access for 124 families and disrupted the transport of agricultural produce to markets. Efforts by villagers to construct alternative access were unsuccessful due to the river’s width of about 55 metres.
Rusdin said some communities still face inconsistent electricity supply despite the presence of infrastructure such as poles and cables, while water access in certain areas remains dependent on gravity-fed systems, reflecting what he described as persistent “last mile connectivity” challenges.
He noted that 115 houses in the constituency have been affected by the Pan Borneo Highway project under Work Packages 33, 34 and 35, which pass through Paginatan.
While supporting the project as a catalyst for development, he urged consideration of housing assistance under state schemes or ex gratia payments for affected residents, including those who lost land or suffered structural damage.
The assemblyman also said Paginatan has strong potential in agriculture and agro-tourism, but that growth remains constrained by weak market access, logistics and financing.
He proposed the establishment of agricultural collection centres, wider adoption of modern farming techniques and strengthened entrepreneurship training to develop value-added rural industries.
“When roads are damaged and crops cannot reach markets, farmers are forced to sell cheaply — this is not an individual failure but a broken ecosystem,” he said.
On fisheries, he noted a recent outbreak affecting Tagal fish stocks, which impacted operators in the area, a site known for its community-based conservation system.
He commended the Sabah Fisheries Department’s swift response but called for stronger preventive measures to protect the sector, which supports both tourism and local livelihoods.
Rusdin further emphasised the importance of addressing human capital development, warning that limited electricity and internet access continues to disadvantage rural students and widen the digital divide.
He said closing the education gap between urban and rural areas is essential to breaking intergenerational poverty, suggesting that producing at least one graduate per family could help transform long-term outcomes.
On the federal revenue entitlement issue under the 40 per cent constitutional provision, he welcomed ongoing negotiations between the state and federal governments but said the matter extends beyond fiscal formulas to Sabah’s capacity to finance critical infrastructure.
He proposed the formation of a special bipartisan committee within the state assembly to present a unified stance on the issue, saying, “Negotiating strength comes not from the loudest voice, but from unity.”
Rusdin pledged continued service to all communities regardless of background, stressing that rural residents are not demanding grand promises but consistent and equitable development that reaches every village. - May 5, 2026
