Kota Kinabalu: Usukan Assemblyman Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Tun Said Keruak
(pic) said Sabah needs to reset its priority by focusing more on micro economy, which is vital in order to preserve, support and assist small economic players in the State.
He said the players such as traders and small-scale entrepreneurs; self-employed individuals including grab drivers and shop owners; retail workers; construction sector workers; farmers, breeders and fishermen; and freelancers were the most affected by Covid-19 Pandemic.
In this regard, the former Chief Minister suggested three things that need to be given priority to assist the small players economically, including that the Government should continue with infrastructure and housing construction projects to stimulate cash flow in the local economy as well as increase the confidence of investors and the local community.
Aside that, he stressed the importance of cooperation and coordination of existing facilities such as funds, grants, or money lending to really facilitate and help those involved.
“The Government also needs to provide a suitable market for economic small players,” he said.
Reset priority was not a drastic action but aimed at improving performance, said Salleh who is the State Government Backbenchers Club Chairman.
“For example, when the performance of our smartphone is unsatisfactory, then we need to ‘reset’ the phone to improve its performance.
“The new norm has demanded that we “think outside the box” and may even create a ‘new box’,” he said when debating the 2021 State Budget at the State Legislative Assembly here Tuesday.
Apart from that, Salleh said the Government needs to explore new economic potentials, especially those involving the fisheries, agriculture and tourism sectors.
He also suggested several approaches to further develop Usukan, including the rebranding of Usukan as a gateway and part of a group of districts in the northern region of Sabah as “Northern Sabah”.
He said it was similar to the concept of rebranding commonly seen in developed countries.
“It was important that the implementation of the Pan Borneo Highway be accelerated to achieve the desired result,” he said.
He said this was because the development of the Pan Borneo Highway would further encourage the development of other infrastructure including electricity, telecommunications, and broadband.
