Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has accused the Sabah government of prioritising “beautiful numbers on paper” over the harsh realities faced by ordinary citizens, demanding a more transparent breakdown of revenue generation and stronger action to lift rural districts out of poverty.
“From the RM6 to RM7 billion in state revenue, how much comes from new economic activities?” he asked during the debate on the Head of State’s policy speech on Monday.
“Beyond oil royalties, palm oil cess, and petroleum cess – what’s the actual figure from new sources of income?”
Bung who is the Lamag assemblyman from Umno warned against being distracted by surface-level progress.
“In chasing after development and beautiful numbers on paper, don’t ever forget the reality of the people’s lives on the ground,” he said.
Highlighting the persistent underdevelopment of Sabah’s interior, Bung demanded to know when the government would finally lift the state’s eight poorest districts out of national poverty rankings.
“When will the government get these eight poorest and most backward districts off the list? It’s embarrassing.
“Sabah is rich – but its districts are poor. The people suffer. There’s no end to it,” he said.
He pointed to delays in major infrastructure projects as a key reason rural Sabah continues to lag behind, specifically the Pan Borneo Highway and other long-promised federal roads.
“The PEN Borneo road – just finish Phase 1. There’s also Phase 2, announced by the Prime Minister. When will construction start?”
“Our federal highway from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan to Tawau – God only knows. So many people complain. They say it’s already approved. But when will it begin?”
Bung also dismissed the idea that building industrial projects in rural areas would automatically generate employment if Sabah’s power infrastructure remained weak.
“If you want to bring investors and create jobs, Sabah needs an extra 3,000 to 5,000 megawatts of electricity.
“Right now, our electricity barely meets domestic needs. Investors come, and they leave the next day – no power, no electricity,” he said.
“The Investment Minister can call in investors, but they’ll just pull out. How do you create jobs when you don’t even have the power to run a plant?”
He also pushed for a new agricultural strategy, suggesting Sabah should transition from being consumption-reliant to a major food producer.
“We need to empower agriculture in Sabah. Allocate funds. Gazette land by district. Outsource these things. Sabah must become a producer, not just subsistence-level,” he said. – April 14, 2025
