Najib assures Sabah rural folk of continued development

KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak yesterday gave his assurance that rural development, specifically in Sabah, would continue to be given high priority to ensure the people were not marginalised from national development.

Najib, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, said people in the rural areas were the backbone and strength of BN, and had given their full trust to the coalition to continue helming the government.

Thus, he added, it was the duty of BN to ensure that these people continued to be cared for.

“For that reason, in the 2016 Budget which I tabled recently, I prioritised rural development, including in Sabah,” he said when opening the Triennial Conference of Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) here.

Najib said the budget contained, among others, provisions for rural development nationwide, including a RM1.4 billion allocation to upgrade 700 kilometres of road, RM878 million for electricity supply projects involving 10,000 houses, and RM568 million for piped water supply projects.

In Sabah, among those being focused on was the construction of the first phase of the Pan Borneo Highway from Sindumin to Tawau, a distance of 706 kilometres, at an estimated cost of RM12.8 billion. The highway would be toll-free.

Najib said the construction of the Pan Borneo Highway would allow the opening of new areas in the state via a network of roads.

The budget also stressed on other needs in Sabah and Sarawak, including economy-class domestic air transportation for the rural air services routes being exempted from the Goods and Services Tax, 1Malaysia mobile clinic service in the interior, and uniformity in the prices of goods.

Najib said he was satisfied with the cooperation given by the Sabah government under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and would continue to strive to meet the needs of the state.

He said the people of Sabah had made the right decision in opting to join Malaysia and picking BN to head the national leadership. – Bernama