KOTA KINABALU – Development plan applications in Sabah will now be automatically approved within six months if all necessary requirements are fulfilled to remove bureaucracy and red tape.
State Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the policy will also reduce opportunities for graft in the application and vetting processes.
He said it effectively reduces “physical contact”, which allows an applicant and the officer in charge of application processes to have “under the table” negotiations.
Masidi said this when elaborating on reports that the Sabah government wants to cut red tape to facilitate investments into the state.
While chairing Invest Sabah Bhd’s inaugural board meeting earlier today, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor had said the state government wants to remove all hurdles that are hampering investments as part of its effort to be investor-friendly.
Invest Sabah was established in December last year, under the purview of the Industrial Development Ministry, to serve as a one-stop agency for investments into the state.
Its role is to provide investors with information on investment requirements, including, among others, licensing approvals and building networking platforms.
It also acts as the secretariat for an investment committee – comprising state and federal agencies, and relevant stakeholders – to vet all investment proposals. – The Vibes, March 6, 2021
