‘People’s well-being, state’s economy are top priorities’

KOTA KINABALU: Sabahans in the rural areas can expect to receive more land grants and basic amenities after the state assembly meeting in April.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the people’s well-being and strengthening of the Sabah economy was top on his mind.

For a start, the chief minister pledged more individual land grants for rural folks, who have long lived in the forest reserves in Sabah.

He said he would state the number of additional individual land grants, its purpose and the districts involved, at the next state assembly sitting in April.

So far, the he said 1,800 individual land grants have been approved for hand over to kampung residents in this category in Keningau and more than 9,000 individual land grants to kampung residents, who have lived for a long time in forest reserves.

“This is the state government’s commitment in looking after the welfare of

Sabahans in the interiors, including implementing projects and providing basic amenities,” he said.

The chief minister said various political parties have administered Sabah over the last several decades but much remains to be done to assist Sabahans, especially those in rural areas.

He said although the political landscape in Sabah and at the federal level is now good, the agenda to uplift Sabahans is allimportant.

Mohd Shafie, 62, shared his thoughts during an hour-long courtesy call recently by Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) CEO Nurini Kassim and editor-in-chief Datuk Mokhtar Hussain at his office in Likas.

“We have to look after Sabah’s economy first. That is our priority,” he stressed at the meeting.

Mohd Shafie, who is also Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) president, was appointed Sabah’s 15th chief minister after the 14th general election in May 2018, which saw the end of the Umno-led Barisan Nasional rule in the state as well as at the federal level.

Mohd Shafie said the new government in Sabah, which has been in power for just one year and nine months, is on track towards strengthening the Sabah economy.

He noted that the state government was able to settle debts totalling RM1 billion owed by the previous government, in December last year.

Mohd Shafie had also declared Dec 24 as a public holiday for Sabahan Christians celebrating Christmas.

“It has never been done before by the previous governments under Barisan Nasional and Parti Bersatu Sabah,” he said.

Touching on the Kimanis parliamentary by-election in the state last month, Mohd Shafie said there were many lessons to be learned from it, which would put the state government on good footing to face the next general election. – Bernama