Kota Kinabalu: The State Government stands firm in fighting corruption among civil servants as it greatly hinders Sabah’s development and progress, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
He said the Sabah Water Department (SWD) scandal involving enormous sums of money (RM130 million) is an example of how it has caused Sabah to lag behind, serving as a lesson to all those in the Government.
“We do not compromise on corruption, yet it has happened and is now proceeding in court. This is a lesson not just for the State Water Department, but to all lines of leadership in Sabah. Corruption is a serious disease and if left unaddressed, it would become a problem and hindrance for the State Government to resolve issues such as supply of water.
“It will also hinder development and government programmes,” he said during question time at the State Legislative Assembly sitting, here, Monday.
He was responding to a supplementary question by Senallang Assemblyman Datuk Seri Shafie Mohd Apdal who asked what the State Government’s steps were to curb corruption.
Shafie had highlighted in his question that even if the State Government had sufficient funds to resolve critical issues in the State, it would be futile if corruption was present.
Meanwhile, Hajiji assured that the State Government will look into renewable energy sources instead of relying on Independent Power Producers (IPP), once regulatory powers over electricity supply are handed over to Sabah next year.
However, he said since Sabah is in need of a solution to overcome its electricity supply woes, Ranhill Sabah Energy, an IPP, is being built in Kimanis with a capacity of 100 megawatts and expected to be operational by March 2026.
He was responding to another supplementary question by Shafie, who urged the State Government to take full control of Sabah’s electricity supply while highlighting that 80 per cent of Sabah’s electricity supply is from IPPs.
“I understand and agree with Yang Berhormat Senallang’s recommendations. We understand that once IPP projects are implemented, the Government has to bear the subsidies. We do need to be careful in this matter, as we do not want to burden the Rakyat.
“But to overcome Sabah’s electricity problem, we need an energy (producer) to solve it. Ranhill (IPP) will be built,” he said, adding that this was decided by the Federal Energy Commission (EC).
“We have given our views to the EC (about running the Ranhill project), but their decision was still to proceed with it. They hold the power, and whether we like it or not, we have to agree.
“But I ensure, next year, when (functions of the) EC are handed over to the State Government, we will make the best decisions that do not burden us. We will find the best ways, especially to use hydropower or new energy sources that are more economical,” he said.
