By CBH
KOTA KINABALU: Victory in the upcoming state election looks a certainty for the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS)-PH Plus administration.
Investor confidence skyrocketed following the launch of the Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor’s ’s brainchild – the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Roadmap 1.0 – in 2021.
The roadmap successfully transformed the state’s economic performance which had taken a plunge due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the two years from 2021, state revenues hit a whopping RM12.409 billion.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor told the Eighth World Engineering, Science and Technology Congress (ESTCON) in Kota Kinabalu last year, Sabah revenues of RM7 billion in 2023 pushed Sabah to among the top six states contributing to Malaysia’s 2023 Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Hajiji also disclosed that figures released by the Statistics Department of Malaysia (DOSM) showed that Sabah contributed 5.5 per cent to national GDP in 2023.
And apart from from the praiseworthy economic performance, long-standing water and power issues are also being addressed with long-term solutions in mind.
The 187.5MW Ulu Padas Hydroelectric Project in Tenom scheduled for completion end of 2030, is one of the major initiatives undertaken to ensure these troubling issues will become a thing of the past.
The SMJ roadmap is not rhetoric but reality.
Indeed, the opening of the multi-billion Kibing glass factory two years ago boosted Sabah to even greater heights.
The state-of-the-art factory has a huge workforce where more than 80 per cent of the 1,300 workers are Sabahans.
The Chief Minister knows political stability is crucial for Sabah to move forward as economic growth and stability are deeply interconnected.
And, when the economy is strong and stable, the people will have the resources essential for a healthy life.
And opposition critics, especially Warisan, have been unable to control their envy at the coalition government’s success after the last state election in 2020.
The opposition without any clear goals for Sabah’s future are on course to meet their “waterloo” at this election.
The current coalition government might not be perfect but the inescapable fact is that the GRS-PH combination’s track record is second to none.
Under the stewardship of the Chief Minister, government leaders have stepped up to the plate to serve the people with commitment and dedication.
And today, Sabah is standing tall and is no longer at the “beck and call” of the federal government.
Various government programmes have been implemented with the interests of the people at heart, and have struck a chord with them.
How different from the unsavoury plot to overthrow the government not very long ago when people stood aghast at the failed coup and those plotters who who had caused instability.
As I see it, there will “more” from the opposition as they struggle with insecurity, and perhaps also low self-esteem.
The people want stability and a government with a multi-racial and people-friendly approach to public affairs.
The state’s current political and economic stability has won voter approval and put the GRS-PH coalition in a favourable position to earn the people’s trust to again govern Sabah after the election.- Commentary by Datuk Seri Panglima Clarence Bongkos Malakun
