KOTA KINABALU: Sabah UMNO Election Director Jeffery Nor Mohamed has expressed disappointment over the statement made by Sabah’s Finance Minister, Datuk Masidi Manjun, who referred to a ‘long-awaited’ soft loan of RM320 million to address the water issues in Sabah.
He said that this implies Sabah is unable to resolve the problem gradually without relying on the soft loan.
“It has been reported that Sabah’s state revenue is projected to reach RM6.7 billion in 2024. If water is a priority for us in Sabah, why not use a portion of this revenue to tackle some water issues sooner?” he said in a statement today.
Jeffery noted that the mindset in Sabah is still far behind Sarawak, which thinks outside the box and does not rely on borrowing or waiting for allocations from others to solve the pressing issues faced by the people
He emphasized that Sabah has all the resources needed to generate better outcomes.
“Therefore, continuous efforts and the introduction of new ideas are essential. We must have the courage to stand on our own feet and see this as a process we can initiate,” he added.
Jeffery, who is also the Putatan UMNO chief, pointed out that reliance on allocations can delay priority projects for the people and should be considered rationally and realistically by the current state government.
“The statement from the Finance Minister seems to blame others or evade the actual reality. We need to change our mindset regarding the main issues facing the people. It is pointless to announce various investments and collaborations if they have not yet yielded results, he added.
