KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan today refuted Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) Deputy Secretary-General Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali’s claim that the previous Warisan government “failed to complete” the RM300 million Kogopon Phase 2 Water Treatment Plant project, describing his statement as misleading and politically dishonest.
Warisan Treasurer General Azhar Datuk Hj Matusin said Armizan was deliberately twisting the timeline to cover up the GRS government’s slow progress and ongoing failures in addressing water supply issues in Papar.
“The Kogopon Phase 2 project was approved under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) and entered implementation in 2019, less than a year after Warisan formed the government,” Azhar said.
“Progress was disrupted by funding delays from the Federal Government, nationwide lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–2021, and eventually the fall of the Warisan government in July 2020 — long before the project could reach full implementation.”
Azhar pointed out that even Armizan’s own statement confirms that the real cause of delay was the Federal Government’s failure to finalise the Notice of Change (NOC) for cost adjustment, as the project was financed through a Federal soft loan.
“That proves the delay was due to Federal bureaucracy, not Warisan’s failure. No state government — Warisan or GRS — could proceed without Federal approval,” he added.
“But instead of admitting that fact, Armizan has chosen to manipulate the issue for political mileage.”
Warisan Laid the Foundation — GRS Took the Credit
Azhar clarified that the Kogopon Phase 2 upgrade and the Kg Kabang intake projects were continuations of initiatives started and designed under Warisan’s 2019–2020 administration through the Department of Water Supply (JANS).
“Warisan laid the groundwork and secured inclusion of these projects under the 12th Malaysia Plan. GRS merely continued what Warisan had planned and then claimed the credit,” Azhar said.
“If Armizan wants to boast about project approvals, he should be honest enough to acknowledge that the groundwork was done by Warisan.”
He added that despite GRS being in power since 2020, the Kogopon Phase 2 project only began construction in August 2023, and the Kg Kabang intake project only started in 2024 — showing that the real delay happened under GRS’s watch, not Warisan’s.
GRS Has Failed to Deliver
“After four years, the people of Papar are still facing dry taps, chloride contamination, and rationing,” Azhar said.
“Instead of taking responsibility, Armizan blames the past government — the same old tactic used to distract the public from GRS’s inability to deliver.”
He also criticised Armizan’s attempt to shift blame onto former Papar MP Ahmad Hassan, saying it was a cheap political shot.
“Everyone knows MPs do not control Federal soft loan approvals. The project is under the Ministry of Works and the Department of Water Supply — not the MP’s office,” Azhar stressed.
Focus on Solutions, Not Excuses
“The people of Papar need clean water, not recycled excuses,” Azhar said.
“Warisan remains committed to structural solutions — empowering the state to plan and control its own water and energy systems instead of waiting endlessly for Federal approvals.”
“It’s time for GRS to stop rewriting history and start delivering real results,” he concluded.
