200,000 Sabahans are working in peninsula

SIPITANG: The GRS-BN State Government through initiatives in the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) is creating as many jobs as possible so that Sabahans will no longer look for work in other places.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor said nearly 200,000 Sabahans, exclusive of dependents, are currently working in Peninsular Malaysia.
“That is why the GRS-BN government is focused on creating an investor-friendly state to attract more investors to come. I want to bring in investors to Sabah so that we can create more job opportunities for our local youths,” he said.
Speaking at the breaking of fast ceremony hosted by Bersatu Sipitang at the Dataran Masjid Nurul Iman in Weston near here on Saturday, Hajiji informed the people that 10 major companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to invest in the Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park (SOGIP).
He said the investments worth billions of ringgit when materialised would directly benefit the people, especially youths, in the district from the job opportunities and economic spin- offs.
According to him, despite facing challenges during its early days, the GRS-BN State Government managed to prepare the Hala Tuju SMJ, a five-year plan to develop Sabah, which was launched just six months after taking over the helms.
“Within just a year of helming the State Government, we managed to attract investors to come and some have already signed an agreement to set up operations in Sabah,” he said.
Among the high-impact projects that have took off were two in the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) and another in Paitan where a high-yield coconut plantation project is being carried out.
Hajiji also approved several development projects for the Weston community.
Present were Special Tasks Minister Datuk Ariffin Arif, Deputy Federal Finance Minister II and Sipitang MP Yamani Musa and state elected representatives.