KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the State Government is committed to ensuring that all approved projects are implemented in accordance with the schedule.
He said this is to enable the target groups for the respective projects to reap the benefits.
“As Chairman of the State Development Committee, I have requested the Federal Government to resolve the issues related to the ‘sick’ projects concerned.
“My priority is that each project approved by the Federal Government in each national budget and the 12th National Plan (12MP) must be implemented according to schedule,” Hajiji said in his winding-up speech in the State Assembly sitting, in replying to Api Api Assemblywoman Datuk Christina Liew on Thursday.
The Chief Minister added that at the same time, he has directed all heads of state and federal departments to take the matter seriously.
Liew wanted to know what action was being taken by the Government to address the 16 “sick” (problematic) projects in Sabah as revealed by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed last month.
To her other question on the change of designation for the Sabah head of government from Chief Minister to Premier, the Chief Minister said the State Government has not proposed to make the change.
And, in a written reply to the Api Api Assemblywoman, Hajiji said 11 of the 15 proposed projects in the Kota Kinabalu Landscape Beautification Blueprint have been given allocations and are being implemented in phases over a five-year period beginning 2021 until 2025.
“The proposed projects include upgrading and beautification of the city centre, development and upgrading of public parks, beautification of small towns and the like. The remaining four proposed projects are still in the planning stage.
“Those started and completed by phase in the current year comprise upgrading projects for Taman Chong Thien Vun, Segama Waterfront and Taman Ujana Rimba, Tanjung Aru Town Landscape Development project and Main Roads Landscape Beautification project, ” he explained.
Earlier, Liew had inquired on the status of implementation of the Kota Kinabalu Landscape Beautification Blueprint that was launched by former Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal in September 2020, and what segments in the Blueprint have been completed to date.
Meanwhile, in a written reply to Liew, Minister of Industrial Development Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam said the ministry, which is in charge of small and medium industries (IKS) had applied for an allocation of RM13 million from the Federal Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative in 2020.
“However, until now, it has not received any approval from the Federal Ministry. Throughout the years from 2018 to 2021, the State Ministry had never received any allocation from the Federal Government for the implementation of the IKS Programme in Sabah,” he said.
The Api Api Assemblywoman had asked Dr Joachim to disclose Sabah’s share of the Federal allocation for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country under Budget 2022.
