KOTA KINABALU – The federal government has been told to provide a timeline to resolve all issues under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) following the announcement of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP).
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor said that while the state government is happy that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has kept his Malaysia Day promise of putting the state’s development as a focus under the 12MP, a definite timeline should be announced on the MA63.
“We are happy the prime minister has kept his word by underlining the development of Sabah, among six other states in the country, under the nine focus areas of the 12MP.
“We really hope the federal government will be able to provide a timeline to resolve all the issues under MA63 as well,” Hajiji said in a statement today.
He also welcomed the prime minister’s assurance that Sabah, Sarawak and other less developed states would receive about 50% of the total basic development allocation under the 12MP.
“This will definitely ensure Sabah will be under the country’s development mainstream,” he said.
Hajiji said the state also agrees with the federal government’s proposed formation of a special unit at district offices to address poverty issues as a measure to eradicate hardcore poverty and reduce the income gap among the people.
“The state government concurs with the approach since it is in line with our plans.
“The state government appreciates the federal government’s sensitivity on Sabah’s healthcare needs, as shown with the announcement that new health clinics will be built in Penampang and Beaufort, along with a new regional blood centre in Sabah,” he said.
He also welcomed the beefing up of security in the state, as underlined under the Fourth Focus of the 12MP, which will see new army camps being set up in Kota Belud and Felda Sahabat, Lahad Datu, as well as a General Operations Force battalion camp in Beluran.
Also highlighted in the 12MP was the upgrading of the Sabah East-West power grid and the construction of new plants to boost power supply in the state.
He said although the proposed Southern Link Grid was not mentioned in the 12MP, the state government hopes the Southern Link Grid will be approved in the 12MP because it is a priority project for Sabah.
“We are also glad that the development of the new customs, immigration, quarantine and security (CIQS) post at the Malaysia-Indonesia border would be carried out in the 12MP.
Ismail had announced that the new CIQS checkpoint would be built at Manalunan, Simanggaris and Kalabakan.
The chief minister had in March announced the development of the new CIQS post at the Malaysia-Kalimantan border was in the pipeline, in anticipation of Jakarta’s decision to relocate the capital city to Kalimantan.
Also included in the 12MP was the National Digital Networking (Jendela) programme, where Sabah is set to receive RM3.1 billion to upgrade and build new telecommunication towers as the country moves towards greater 4G and 5G internet penetration.
“Sabah is looking forward to the Jendela programme because the people, especially those in the rural areas, are really in need of better digital connectivity,” he said.
Hajiji said the state government also welcomes the RM101 million Dudar-Taburan Mandawang rural road in Kota Belud as part of the federal government’s rural transformation plan.
Thanking the federal government for its continued priority for Sabah, he said he also hopes there will be consistent monitoring of all the development plans under the 12MP for the state.
“The state government believes this will be an effective way of monitoring to ensure the planned developments are completed during the 12MP period,” he said.
At the state government level, the chief minister assured that it will give its fullest support and cooperation so the development programmes under the 12MP can be carried out successfully.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili said this is the first Malaysia Plan that has given so much focus on Sabah, Sarawak and the MA63.
He said the MA63 is not only mentioned as one of the main focuses in the Prime Minister’s speech, but Ismail Sabri had also said that he will be personally involved in monitoring all implementation of plans in Sabah and Sarawak.
“The 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) is a commitment from the government towards states that are less advanced, especially Sabah and Sarawak.
“The prime minister’s assurance to solve the issues and outstanding claims in the MA63 shows that the federal government is committed to solving the slow development and the issue of lacking basic necessities in Sabah and Sarawak.
“We welcome the allocation for underdeveloped states, especially Sabah and Sarawak,” he said in a statement, reacting to the 12MP tabled in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Ongkili noted that the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Division will soon set up a joint monitoring unit with the Economic Planning Unit to ensure infrastructure implementation plans are implemented in accordance with MA63 development goals. – The Vibes, September 27, 2021
