KOTA KINABALU: The voters in Sabah have been urged to place their trust in the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition to manage the state for another five years.
Making the call, a Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (PGRS) leader, Datuk Dr Janathan Kandok says GRS and its partner, Pakatan Harapan (PH) had in the last half a decade proven their capabilities in doing what is best for the state and people.
Economic growth surged, revenues shot up and the people’s economic well-being taken care of.
“The biggest mistake will be to give the mandate to a party or coalition that only boasts but can’t deliver,” he points out.
He adds that the man who led Sabah to what it is today – stable, progressive and financially strong – caretaker Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor deserves a second term in office to oversee things again for the next five years.
Sabah’s growth domestic product (GDP) rose from RM83.2 billion in 2023 to RM84.3 billion last year.
Also, under his leadership, state revenue collection for three consecutive years (2022, 2023, 2024) hit almost RM7 billion compared to only RM3.59 billion in 2020 – the year Warisan lost the state election after a two-year rule.
And prior to the dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly, it was announced that state reserves stood at over RM8 billion while domestic and foreign investments brought into the state since 2021 amounted to RM35.38 billion.
“And as expected, certain parties that were at one time in power are now weaponising the issue of water shortage as part of their election campaigns.
“Warisan pledges to make it a thing of the past within one year if it wins the election while Barisan Nasional (BN) which had ruled Sabah for several decades also promised to resolve the problem if it returns to power”.
Dr Janathan points out that the GRS-led government did not sit on the problem
“In fact, a but number of initiatives were planned and implemented to deal with it,” he says, adding that as a result of Hajiji’s farsightedness, the multi-billion ringgit Ulu Padas Hydroelectric Project (UPHEP) was launched three years ago to ensure long-term supplies of water and electricity.
The UPHEP – expected to be completed by end of 2030 – is capable of generating an average of 1,052 gigawatt hours (GWh) of clean energy annually, hence increasing Sabah’s current dependable capacity by some 15 per cent.
It willl also double the renewable energy (RE) mix, supporting the state’s goal of achieving approximately 35% RE share in its generation mix by 2035.
Meanwhile Dr Janathan says Sabah had enjoyed political stability vital for the people’s well-being in the last five years.
He also expresses confidence that the people appreciate what the GRS-led government had done and will not be taken in by the promises made by rival parties.
“The many policies and programmes it carried out struck a chord with the people,” he adds.
And, Dr Janathan is also confident that that the Sabah voters will make the right choice at the ballot box this Saturday.
A total of 596 candidates are vying for 73 seats in the State Assembly.
