KOTA KINABALU: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) Backbencher Chairman Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak opined that it is time now for the Federal government to hand over “Economic Autonomy” to Sabah.
In this respect, he urged the Federal government to reduce or cut the bureaucracy and give the Sabah Government the capacity to make independent decisions on its economic future.
“Let us waste no time and delegate to Sabah Government the relevant powers to make financial and investment decisions,” he said his latest Facebook posting.
Sabah deputy chief minister Datuk Bung Moktar Radin was recently quoted as calling for the federal government to empower the state in developing economic ties with Indonesia.
Bung told the Dewan Rakyat that Indonesia was already working on major highways in Kalimantan with the nation moving its capital to Borneo in the near future.
He said Putrajaya seemed to be unaware that Indonesia was doing this and was also not doing anything to leverage on the possible economic benefits, especially for Sabah and Sarawak.
“If the federal government thinks this is down to the relationship between Sabah and Indonesia, then empower us. Give us the power to negotiate. So far, there’s no movement from Putrajaya on the matter,” Bung was quoted as saying.
