Opposition leader Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal took aim at the Sabah government during the opening day of the state legislative assembly, tearing into the administration over what he described as misplaced priorities, constitutional negligence, and a string of “cosmetic policies” that fail to address real problems.

In a speech that spanned everything from infrastructure failures to food security and youth unemployment, the Senallang assemblyman repeatedly returned to a single refrain: the need for principled governance.

“We are here to build a nation, not to enrich anyone else,” Shafie said during the debate of the Head of State policy speech in the Sabah Assembly in Kota Kinabalu on Monday. 

He slammed the GRS-led government’s decision to roll out a group insurance scheme for 3.7 million people — including, he noted, the rich — while the state continues to face power outages, dry taps, and deteriorating roads.

“Why are we insuring the rich when we can’t provide basic water or electricity? “Even in developed countries, not everyone is covered like this.”

Shafie also raised concern that the insurance programme, run by a government-linked company, could serve more as a pre-election talking point than an effective public safety net.

Before diving into specifics, Shafie opened with a broadside on constitutional overreach. 

He warned that Sabah’s institutions were increasingly straying from the legal frameworks that define them, and he took pains to remind the government that no agency, official or royal figure is above the Federal Constitution.

“No institution or individual is above the Constitution. 

“If there are actions outside it — whether on land, minerals, or forests — it becomes our moral duty to correct them.”

Shafie credited his own administration when he was chief minister before for invoking constitutional powers to impose a sales tax on Petronas, resulting in billions in revenue for the state.

Shafie then turned to economic sovereignty, arguing that Sabah should take full control of its natural resources, ports, and industrial zones.

“In Sarawak, the state government fought to manage Bintulu Port themselves. Here in Sabah, we hand Sepanggar over to foreigners,” he said, referring to the government’s partnership with Middle Eastern port operator DP World. 

He also called for transparency on newly announced investments — including three industrial parks in Kota Belud, Kudat and Beaufort — questioning how many jobs they have actually created and how much local participation exists.

“How many of these investments are real? Name the companies, show the jobs,” he said, calling for a full audit.

Shafie didn’t spare infrastructure agencies either. He accused the state of wasteful spending and failing to maintain its core public services.

On water, he quoted the Auditor-General’s report, which found Sabah’s treated water coverage to be among the worst in the country, with 50% non-revenue water losses in some districts. In places like Tawau, Papar and Sandakan, he said, entire communities are still relying on rainwater or trucked supplies.

“When I go back to Semporna, even I have to buy water just to bathe or cook,” he said.

On electricity, he criticised reliance on short-term solar projects and warned of long-term blackouts unless proper planning is done.

On roads, he questioned where the RM1.5 billion in annual allocations had gone, pointing to potholes and crumbling highways despite millions spent. He singled out the Pan Borneo Highway, saying sections would not be completed on time due to subcontracting and lax enforcement on overloaded lorries.

Healthcare also came under fire. Shafie said that with RM45 billion allocated by the federal government this year, Sabah should be demanding its fair share — especially when clinics lack medicine and the state has only one heart specialist in the public sector.

He proposed setting up a state-linked pharmaceutical plant to avoid relying solely on federal supply chains.

In education, he highlighted schools that still use wooden buildings and lack internet access, saying: “They talk about AI and paperless systems, but government offices are still pushing files around manually.”

Shafie questioned recent land approvals to private companies and raised concerns over whether Forest Management Units were genuinely planting timber — or just repurposing the land for oil palm.

He also called on the government to fast-track issuance of native titles, noting that some rural families have lived on their land for over 50 years without formal ownership.

While Shafie insisted his speech was not meant to politicise the sitting, he made clear that the opposition would continue to hold the government accountable — especially as the next state election looms.

“This is not about politics. We love this country. We love the people of Sabah.

“We cannot afford waste or corruption when people are still struggling,” he said.  – April 14, 2025