KINABATANGAN – The Sabah government aspires to erase its title of “poorest state in Malaysia” and become the richest state in the country in five years’ time, with the help of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said after 58 years of independence, Sabah is still poor with a lot of rural areas lacking access to clean water supply, electricity, and roads.
“The prime minister is concerned with Sabah and I am confident that he knows of all our problems. We are thankful for the development fund allocated to Sabah in Budget 2022. However, there is still a lot to be done to help Sabah escape poverty.
“If there is a long-term programme to solve these three main problems in Sabah, I am sure that Sabah will become more developed than other states. I hope the prime minister will pay attention to this as the leader of the people,” he said.
Bung Moktar said this in his speech during the opening ceremony for the three packages of Sabah’s East Coast Pan Borneo Highway Project here today.
He said that he pleaded with Ismail Sabri to help Sabah escape poverty during the prime minister’s meeting with Sandakan’s community leaders here last night.
Bung Moktar pointed out that Sabah’s contribution to national development is higher than Melaka, Kelantan, and Terengganu, but it is still the poorest state in the federation.
“It hurts our feelings that we are named the poorest state. It is the ambition of Sabahans to erase this title. Help us return our dignity.
“Help us in every way possible; we want to escape poverty and we don’t want to be the poorest state anymore,” he said. – The Vibes, November 6, 2021
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