KOTA KINABALU, Dec 6 — The Sabah government has set a time frame of two years for investors to start development projects in the state, the Sabah State Legislative Assembly was told today.
Chief Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor said the state government had also instructed the State Secretary to ensure that every application received from investors to implement development projects in the state needed to be expedited for approval for implementation.
He was replying to a question by Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak (BN-Usukan) who wanted to know the approval process for all proposals or methods to determine the time frame for investors who want to invest in Sabah.
Hajiji said this would ensure that the approval of development plans, including related approvals, would be expedited as well as simplified to avoid delays in planned projects.
In reply to Salleh’s question on the state government’s measures to face an economic slowdown, Hajiji said various efforts were also being made by the state government to increase the productivity and quality of the state’s industrial products.
“The state government is also pursuing business-friendly policies and creating a conducive environment to attract more private sector involvement and investment in high-value downstream industries, especially in the existing industrial parks in the state,” he said.
Apart from the tourism sector, where the implementation in the Sabah Tourism Recovery Roadmap would be intensified, he said the state government was also focusing on efforts to strengthen the role and contribution of Small and Medium Industries (SMIs).
In reply to a supplementary question by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Senallang) who wanted to know the implementation of initiatives other than the agreement signed by the state government with related companies, Hajiji said several companies were also interested in investing in the Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park (SOGIP).
He said this included Petronas proposing to build an offshore facility for a liquefied natural gas plant, however so far all these were still at the proposal stage. — Bernama
