Federal, Sabah Governments To Jointly Monitor All Water, Electricity And Road Projects - PM Anwar

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 6 (Bernama) -- The Federal Government will begin joint monitoring with the Sabah Government on all water, electricity and road projects in the state on monthly basis from January next year, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said the new approach was crucial to ensure that fundamental issues, such as water and electricity supply and unsatisfactory road conditions in several areas, could be resolved without delay, thereby reducing project implementation delays.

He said the monitoring would cover projects under both the Federal and state governments, including school repairs, village infrastructure, the Pan Borneo highway project and other critical upgrading works.

“I have proposed to the committee in the Prime Minister’s Department that beginning January, we will start joint monitoring of projects with the state government. Whether state or Federal projects, we will review their progress and monitor them every month.

He said this when speaking at the Sentuhan MADANI event at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) here today, which was also attended by Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

Also present were Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam, Deputy Chief Minister II Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ewon Benedic and Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.

Anwar said that the joint monitoring system, which also involved district officers and state and Federal development agencies, would ensure that the hundreds of planned projects could be implemented faster than before.

He said that the government’s priority was to ensure that all development pledges did not remain as mere announcements, but translated into real action.

He also stressed that there should no longer be delays in approving Federal projects in the state.

Meanwhile, Anwar said that during his two-day visit to Sabah during the election, he had the opportunity to observe the situation on the ground and meet many local leaders, enabling the government to understand the strengths of various ethnic communities and assess suitable measures to enhance the state’s development drive.

The Prime Minister said he chose to visit Sabah immediately after the election to dispel the perception that politicians only made promises during election campaigns and became complacent once they won.

Instead, he said, the government should demonstrate its commitment from the outset to work and fulfil the people’s mandate.

-- BERNAMA