Kota kinabalu: Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor is confident that the 40 per cent special grant for the state will be finalised soon, thanks to the strong ties between the state and Federal governments. He said that although the state government continued to uphold Sabah’s rights, it should also not forget its responsibility to safeguard national interests.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Hajiji expressed confidence that strong relations will bring many benefits, including finalising the Federal Government’s obligation on the payment of the 40 per cent revenue return for Sabah. He hopes this can be concluded soon for mutual benefit, as mentioned during his speech at the ‘Sentuhan MADANI’ programme at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC). Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also attended the event.
The Chief Minister added that beginning next year, Sabah’s development policy would be guided by the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) 2.0 roadmap, which includes establishing three new industrial parks. These are the Blue Economy Industrial Park in Kudat, the Oil and Gas Industrial Park in Beaufort, and the High-Tech and Semiconductor Industrial Park between Kota Belud and Kota Marudu, to accommodate the growing interest of investors.
He emphasized that every plan implemented must focus on the people’s well-being, whether directly or indirectly, through economic growth and job opportunities. Hajiji reiterated the state government’s commitment to safeguarding the interests of Sabahans by building 50 Rumah Mesra SMJ units in each state constituency to assist the poor and hardcore poor, as well as providing monthly financial aid of RM300 for 100,000 recipients next year.
Hajiji also announced new financial assistance for senior citizens aged 60 and above without a fixed income, along with incentives for first-home deposit financing. The state government plans to double its efforts to upgrade basic infrastructure, with more than RM1.2 billion allocated for water supply, to be implemented in phases starting mid-next year.
He expressed appreciation to Anwar for the RM765 million allocation to complete the Sabah Southern Link project, which will connect the West Coast and East Coast electricity grids to address power supply disruptions in the region. On Nov 13, media reported that the MADANI Government would strengthen the provision of essential utilities with an allocation of RM1.2 billion to ensure continuous electricity supply and RM765 million for the Sabah Southern Link Transmission Line Project.