Sabah Consolidated Fund up 16.5 per cent to RM3.431 billion

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government Consolidated Fund registered an increase of RM484.80 million or 16.5 per cent to RM3.431 billion in 2021 from RM2.947 billion in 2020, according to a report tabled in the Sabah State Assembly on Monday.

The Auditor-General’s Report (LKAN) on Financial Statements of Sabah State Government and Agencies for 2021 stated that the Consolidated Revenue Account registered a surplus of RM931.57 million, increasing by RM1.866 billion or 199.7 per cent compared to a deficit of RM934.63 million in 2020.

“The financial position of the Sabah state government for the year ended Dec 31, 2021 is stable on the whole,” he report said.

LKAN said that in 2021, revenue collected by the state government totalled RM5.450 billion, an increase of RM1.859 billion or 51.8 per cent compared to 2020’s collection of RM3.591 billion. It said operating expenditure rose RM57.44 million or 1.6 per cent to RM3.718 billion in 2021, compared to RM3.661 billion in 2020.

“Last year RM1.119 billion in development expenditure was approved and RM879.92 million was spent,” the report said.

According to the report, 812 projects were planned for 2021 and 47 projects were completed, 367 project are being implemented and 398 projects have yet to be implemented.

Meanwhile, the 2021 LKAN Series 1 on Activities of Ministries/Departments and Management of Sabah Government Companies said the state government had disbursed aid totalling RM179.07 million for the benefit of 392,819 Heads of Households (KIR) and 10 departments through the Sabah We Care Bantuan Covid-19 programme.

“A sum of RM159.12 million for the benefit of 372,813

KIR and departments was distributed throughout the critical period from the Movement Control Order (MCO) until Conditional MCO,” the report said.

It also said the management of repairs to slopes along state and federal roads in Sabah was not efficient and effective enough to achieve the objectives of slope management.

Between 2018 and 2020, a total of 65 to 85.3 per cent of targeted slopes had yet to be repaired, and one of the reasons for this was that allocations approved for the projects were insufficient.

“Physical inspections conducted at project sites showed that physical damage was caused by a lack of routine maintenance after the projects were completed. This affected the stability and strength of roadside slopes. The Early Warning System (EWS) installed at the locations of slopes also need to be better utilised,” it said.