KOTA KINABALU: A total of RM5.01bil has been allocated for 1,039 development projects in Sabah under the 12th Malaysia Plan’s (12MP) first rolling plan of 2021, says Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

This was reflective of one of the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030’s main objectives (development for all), as the Federal Government was committed to ensuring sustainable progress in all states including Sabah, he said.

“Among the major development projects being implemented are the Sabah Pan Borneo Highway project, upgrading of the Sapangar Bay Container Port, upgrading of 50 dilapidated schools via the industrialised building system and the Sabah village road connectivity project, ” he said during the townhall session for the vision yesterday.

Muhyiddin said all these projects were expected to help boost economic activities in Sabah.

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He said under the socio-economic development plans for Sabah and Sarawak, emphasis was also placed on improving broadband connectivity.

During the question-and-answer session, Muhyiddin said online access, skills training and improving basic infrastructure such as road links were among the ways to ensure that Sabah and Sarawak would grow on par with the other states in the country.

On how the government planned to fix the political instability, he said all sides, be they the opposition or government, had the same responsibility to ensure that politics in the country remained stable in order to improve investor confidence.

“Yes, we are facing the pandemic and political crisis but the instability affects investor confidence.

“There are questions like ‘Will it be the same person again (as Prime Minister), (will it be the) same people again if we (investors) return? Should we go elsewhere?’

“We recognise this is a problem.My approach was always to tend to the people’s issues. That was why I did not respond sometimes to politics.

“The people are fed up. They don’t want to hear that (about politics). This is what we think is important now – focusing on things required by the people.

“So the answer to that question is that when the time comes, we will leave it to the people to make the decision, ” said Muhyiddin.

Asked how the Federal Government would help revive the tourism industry in Sabah, a major income generator in the state, he said plans were already in place and awaiting the right time based on the Covid-19 situation.

“Sabah is currently under the conditional MCO. Hopefully after this we can open interstate travel.

“This is being discussed at the moment with stricter standard operating procedure, maybe once the virus transmission is under control.

“So the plans have been prepared, we just need to see when we can reopen borders and after more people have been vaccinated, it will be easier for people to move around, ” he added.