KOTA KINABALU, April 13 — The Sabah government wants urgent, quick-impact small-scale projects that can be completed promptly to be prioritised, particularly in the education and healthcare sectors.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said these small-scale projects must be implemented efficiently, swiftly, on schedule and with full integrity so that they can be promptly enjoyed by the Sabahans.

He said Sabah has received an allocation of RM6.59 billion under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), covering 1,233 projects or programmes, reflecting the government’s commitment to ensuring the state’s development continues in line with the aspirations of the Madani Government and Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) 2.0.

“I want more frequent monitoring of these development projects to prevent delays. Closer monitoring must be carried out to ensure projects do not face delays and that any implementation issues are examined and referred to the appropriate channels.

“Issues such as funding, land and utilities must be addressed promptly so as not to affect project implementation, especially those that have a direct impact on the people,” he said in a statement after chairing the State Development Action Council meeting at Menara Kinabalu here today.

Hajiji said the emphasis on the implementation of immediate projects is in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s call to expedite small-scale projects, as they are able to deliver a quick impact to the people.

He said reports on delayed projects presented at the meeting are important to ensure that implementation issues can be resolved within the stipulated timeframe, adding that the state government takes project delays seriously as they can lead to increased costs and losses to the government.

Meanwhile, Hajiji said the Hardcore Poverty Eradication Programme for Sabah 2026 is a continuation of the development agenda under the SMJ 2.0 Development Plan for the 2026-2030 period, with emphasis on poverty eradication as a key pillar to ensure that no one is left behind in the development process.

The Chief Minister said the success of SMJ 1.0 has given confidence that Sabah is on the right track, while SMJ 2.0 calls for continuous transformation in enhancing capacity and creating new value for the people.

He said under SMJ 2.0, Sabah continues to focus on the agriculture, industrial and tourism sectors, while also ensuring sustainable economic growth, human capital development and the well-being of the people, with no one left behind in the wave of modernisation, alongside infrastructure and green networks to accelerate solutions to issues involving water supply, electricity and road connectivity.

“In this year’s budget amounting to RM12.02 billion, a large portion of the allocation is channelled towards the development of basic infrastructure such as water supply, electricity and roads, which will drive economic activity across all districts,” he said. — Bernama