Plug leakages to improve infrastructure, services – Shafie

KOTA KINABALU (Nov 18): Senallang assemblyman Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal called on the state government to plug the leakages that are a burden to its finances.

He said that the money saved from this can be used to improve the infrastructure and services in the state.

Shafie when debating the budget speech during the State Assembly sitting here on Monday, also said that there is a need for transparency in the government’s spending.

“We need transparency. What is the amount of money used and what is it for? For example, the SMJ Secretariat was allocated almost RM5 million and this is money that we need. We cannot rely on oil alone, we must be thrifty and prudent in our financial management.

“We also have to make sure all the infrastructure contractors are qualified as this can reduce the cost of maintenance of the infrastructure especially of roads in the state,” he stressed.

The Parti Warisan president also spoke about the water supply issue in the state and stressed that there is a need to get to the source of the problem and resolve it.

He pointed out that one of the contributing factors is the lack of a reservoir in Sabah and said that if Warisan is given the mandate to form the state government, it will build a dam in Kinabatangan.

“This dam in Segama river will be bigger than Bakun dam which is now not only ensuring a steady water supply in Sarawak but also generating income for the state,” he said.

Shafie opined that changing the water meters and replacing the water pipes in trying to address the issue of non-revenue water (NRW) is not a long-term resolution as it is the main source of the problem that needs to be addressed.

“Once I stayed in Pulau Banggi and saw that there is no water source on the island. The villagers buy water that is brought in from the mainland. They can get water from somebody but not from the main supplier which is the State Water Department,” he stressed.

At this juncture, Banggi assemblyman Datuk Mohammad Mohamarin interjected and asked if Shafie remembered that he had offered the then state government three options for the construction of a dam on Banggi.

“I offered three options to build a dam, RM8 million, RM3 million and RM300,000. When you were the Chief Minister, you approved the RM300,000 project to dredge the Intake 1 of the water treatment plant on the island again,” the Banggi assemblyman said.

Shafie replied, “I remember that and at that time we only had a time frame of a few months only and also faced with Covid-19. We need to use the money to save the lives of people in Sabah.

“So we need to solve the main problem. That is why we need a reservoir. It cannot be resolved by piece meal by giving a village RM300,000 to replace the pipes etc. I believe we can do better than Sarawak with better implementation of these measures.

“I also want to ask the state government why it decided to set up a cement industry in Tongod which is far from a port facility and where basic infrastructure like road, water and electricity supply needs time to set up.

“Why can’t you set up this industry nearer the source where you can reduce the cost to export? We have Cement Industries, we also have one in Lahad Datu. Why can’t we use these? Is the aim to build a cement industry there or are there any connections to the gold and timber there?” Shafie asked.

He also lamented the lack of coordination between the state and federal governments on certain matters such as providing subsidies to students.

“Sabah and about 2,000 students studying in Peninsular Malaysia and they are getting travel subsidies from the Transport Ministry to fly home. The State Government is also providing travel subsidies to these students and we do not want to duplicate the subsidy, why can’t we spend the money to improve services and infrastructure in the state?” Shafie said.

He also said that there is a need for the state government to have a scheme to assist the poor in the state.

“I am quite surprised, giving RM300 a month to the poor, building houses for them. Are you resolving the problem of poverty by just building houses or giving them RM300? Why can’t we have an independent scheme to assist the poor? By giving them RM300, you make our society very dependent,” he opined.

The former Sabah Chief Minister said that he had spoken to the Higher Education Minister and suggested that public universities be set in Keningau and Tawau for the students in the east coast and interior.

This, he said, can reduce the students’ expenses in terms of travelling to universities out of their areas and also reduce costs to be incurred by the state government and families.

Speaking to reporters later, Shafie opined that the budget tabled was an ‘election budget’ which does not have any concrete and long-term plan to resolve the issues such as poverty in Sabah.

“We support and agree that the state government is assisting the underprivileged community in the state but it must make sure that there are no leakages and there is proper coordination with the federal government in matters such as allocation,” he said.