I am leader for all Sabahans – Musa

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is on the right path as fundamentals such as racial harmony and good governance continue to be upheld, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman.

“Sabah has been taken out of the backwaters of primary exports into an economically vibrant state with prospects for greater progress,” he said.

Like the people of the State, Musa said he wants a Sabah that enjoys racial and religious harmony and are united in our endeavor to transform Sabah into an economically vibrant state.

“I want to see Sabah become the place where we can all have a good life and earn our livelihood in a clean and secure environment with great prospects.”

Musa said this when delivering his inaugural lecture entitled 'My Vision for Sabah' at an event organized by the Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu (RCKK) here on Sunday.

Musa recalled that when he first entered politics, he could see what Sabah needed most was to move forward in a number of things, most urgent of which were human capital and capacity building, plugging of economic leakages, creation of new and value-added industries and most importantly better governance and delivery system so that the people could progress in a systematic and coherent manner.

“These were, in my view, critical cornerstones without which progress would have been slow and difficult.”

He said most GovernmentLinked Companies (GLCs) were making losses by the millions each year then.

“Sabah's one and only major source of revenue then was timber and the rate of felling was clearly unsustainable. This situation was aggravated through transfer pricing by exporters. Another source of economic leakage was the repatriation of profit by owners of oil palm plantations,” he said.

Musa said he also saw that Sabah had some inherent and fundamental economic issues and was greatly troubled by them.

“After taking over as Chief Minister in 2003, it became clear to me that Sabah must have a new direction and a new economic model for our State to be able to compete within Malaysia and the region.”

Hence, Musa introduced the Halatuju masterplan incorporating economic sectors that Sabah has significant competitive advantages in, namely, tourism, agriculture and manufacturing as well as the development of human capital.

He also pushed for the socioeconomic development agenda and the promotion of a better statefederal relationship, two very critical ingredients to economic progress.

Musa said the process had been an interesting and exciting journey thus far, with its ups and downs.

“With opportunities, there are challenges and with success, undoubtedly there will be failures. The important thing is to be focused, to keep your eye on the ball, and to move forward,” he said.

In addition, Musa stressed on the importance of understanding that the key to Sabah's present and future success lies in the unity of our culturally diverse people.

“We should be grateful that the prevailing peace and harmony in Malaysia has served us all well. Regardless of the abundance of cultures in Sabah, it has become our own very unique strength,” Musa said.

He said, Sabah's strength in diversity was the envy of other countries. However, Musa said, it was disheartening to see irresponsible parties making provocative statements that could lead to disastrous consequences in recent years.

“This is a cause of concern for all of us, as conflict among races can pose a threat to our unity and peaceful way of life. We must act collectively to protect our diverse cultures, for without it, Sabah would lose its greatest asset,” he urged.

On another note, Musa said the State government had allocated millions in assistance to Chinese vernacular and mission schools as well as non-Muslim religious bodies.

Between 2004 and 2016, Sabah has disbursed almost RM300 million in support of Chinese vernacular and mission schools as well as non-Muslim religious bodies, he said.

“We also pledged millions in response to requests by NGOs from across the board to fund their programmes and activities. These include chambers of commerce, women organizations, charitable causes, environmental bodies and cultural associations. I am leader for all Sabahans irrespective of ethnicity and beliefs,” Musa reiterated.

Also present were Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, State Secretary Tan Sri Sukarti Wakiman, Minister of Local Government and Housing, Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Haji Noor, Minister of Special Tasks, Datuk Teo Chee Kang, Minister of Community Development and Consumer Affairs, Datuk Jainab Ahmad Ayid, Deputy Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly Datuk Dr Johnson Tee, Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai, Karamunting assemblyman Datuk Charles O Pang, RCKK president Jeyan Marimuttu, and organizing chairman Datuk Hj Zaini Abd Aucasa.