KOTA KINABALU, June 2 — Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has blamed the delay in the delivery of federal projects in states on the lack of funds.
Dr Mahathir said that the constraints were inherited from the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration, which means that the government has had to use the private sector to deliver projects in the states.
“It is slow not just in Sabah, but also in other states in the Peninsula. The problem is there is a lot of obstacles due to the previous government,” he said today when asked about delayed federal projects in Sabah.
“The most important thing is we don’t have the money, so we must let the private sector do it but we must make sure they are genuine, and not a front for someone else,” he said.
The prime minister was on a three-hour visit to break fast with state leaders and local communities at the City Mosque.
He spoke to reporters at the airport just before leaving for his flight back to Kuala Lumpur.
When asked about the delay of the Pan Borneo highway project, Dr Mahathir said that the government, specifically the Public Works Department (PWD), has taken back the project from the private project manager appointed to coordinate the mega road project.
Dr Mahathir said it would be up to federal PWD to decide whether to give it to Sabah PWD to handle.
