TAWAU: The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) Government lost its first two years (2021–2022) of administration because it had to accept Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin as the Works Minister.
GRS Deputy Sec-Gen Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said Bung, in his view, was the worst Works Minister in Sabah’s history as proven by his inability to address the State’s water and electricity problems.
“It was God’s will that this ‘Failed Minister’ eventually left the State Government, which finally allowed many water and electricity stabilisation projects to begin,” he said.
According to him, during Bung’s two years as Works Minister, no major water supply stabilisation projects were implemented.
For example, in Tawau, the Cinta Mata 2 Water Treatment Plant (LRA) project only began after he was no longer the Minister.
He said the project commenced on July 22, 2025 and is expected to be completed by July 22, 2028.
“In my area in Papar, the Kogopon Water Treatment Plant Upgrade Project, which had long been planned, was only able to start in August 2023 after Bung was no longer and Datuk Shahelmey (Yahya) became the new Minister.
“Both projects were already in the planning pipeline, and as the Minister, he should not point fingers at others for the failures.
“In fact, the GRS Government has also planned another new project — the Balung II Water Treatment Plant, scheduled to begin in 2026,” he said at the launch of the GRS Tanjung Batu machinery at Jalan Utara, Tuesday.
Also present were GRS candidate for N71 Tanjung Batu Dr Andi Md Shamsureezal Mohd Sainal, wing chiefs and more than 1,000 GRS supporters from various age groups and backgrounds.
Armizan, who is also Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister, said as for electricity, regulatory power was only officially transferred to the Sabah Government on January 3, 2024, after 41 years of Federal control since 1983.
Meanwhile, he said, the energy provider Sabah Electricity (SE) is still majority-owned by the Federal Government through TNB.
“Therefore, it is unreasonable to blame the GRS Government alone when the Federal Government held the power for so long…during his time as the Works Minister, even though electricity was not under his ministry, Bung was always eager to demonstrate influence.
“Two Umno Division Chiefs in Sabah were appointed to the SE Board of Directors based on Bung’s recommendations.
“So the question is: what contribution or achievement did these Umno representatives and the Umno Energy Minister make towards solving Sabah’s electricity issues?
“The power was in their hands at the time. Clearly, they failed.”
In reality, he said, only after Bung and Umno were no longer in the Sabah Government, and regulatory authority was given to the GRS Government, did many electricity stabilisation projects begin – including the Southern Link Phase 1 Grid Connection to the East Coast, which commenced in 2024.
Therefore, he said, Bung Moktar’s accusation that the GRS Government is the “biggest failure in the world” is akin to spitting at the sky.
