Address 16 ‘sick’ projects in Sabah quickly — MP

KOTA KINABALU: The government must be more proactive to correct the situation by quickly addressing the 16 “sick” projects in Sabah, said former Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew.

The Tawau MP urged the government to intensify efforts to get the delayed projects completed within the shortest possible time.

“We have been reading about ‘sick’ projects in the media since the change of federal government in February 2020. This time around, it is far from amusing to learn that Sabah has the highest number of ‘sick’ projects, at 16. If so, something must be seriously wrong somewhere for the state to top the ‘behind schedule’ list.

“By now, we should be receiving good news about the progress of some of these projects. Be transparent and reveal what the 16 ‘sick’ projects are, and their expected completion, in the interest of the public.

“The relevant authorities must get down to the root of the problem to expedite accomplishment of the projects, hopefully before the 15th General Election (15GE),” Liew said in a statement on Friday.

She was commenting on Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed’s recent disclosure that the government is monitoring 92 “sick” projects nationwide, that is those that are delayed beyond two months or 20 per cent their completion dates.

According to him, Sabah has the highest number of ‘sick’ projects (16), among the affected states.

Liew reiterated that the government must address the real issues hindering the smooth implementation of the 16 projects.

On Mustapa’s statement that the government had taken appropriate steps to strengthen the criteria for selecting and appointing contractors and consultants, in addition to boosting the skills of civil servants in managing national development projects, Liew said errant contractors should be “blacklisted” to avoid history repeating itself.

Citing the Tawau Hospital upgrade project as a glaring example of a delayed Federal-funded project, the Tawau MP said it was supposed to have been completed in May 2020.

Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the hospital upgrading project in 2016 under the 11th Malaysia Plan (2016-2020).

The project involves construction of a new hospital building equipped with six operating theatres, an endoscopy room and wards as well as equipment like CT Scan and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for the Emergency Department and Radiology Department. A helipad would also be built, according to a 2016 media report quoting the Health Ministry’s then Secretary-General Datuk Dr Chen Chaw Min.

“We are now into the 12th Malaysia Plan (2021-2025). Before the end of last year, the Tawau Hospital upgrade project was reportedly only 60 per cent complete. We hope the new hospital building will be ready before the end of the year,” Liew said.