Kota Kinabalu: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said RM1.41 billion has been allocated for 295 programmes and projects in Sabah, where 70 projects are new and the rest continuation of those under the 12th Malaysia Plan.
Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, said RM1.06 billion was to implement 224 infrastructure projects like roads, bridges, water supply, electricity supply and area development.
He announced an additional RM750,000 for each of the rural excos to implement infrastructure and amenity projects according to target groups in their respective states/regions.
He also said many rural projects in Sabah approved before the Madani Government had yet to be implemented because the procedures under the previous government were too strict.
Hence, the Ministry together with all state and regional governments, through their rural exco/ministers are looking for a way to expedite the implementation without breaching the procedures.
Speaking after chairing his Ministry’s Coordination Meeting with Rural Exco at the Pacific Sutera Harbour, Friday, Zahid said previously a project that had been approved could only be implemented after two or three years.
“Because it depends on the consultant, value management and open tender which takes a long time.
“Then what should be done is to follow the procedures determined by the Finance Ministry and the Economy Ministry, but the implementation can be expedited.
“Because the procedures used before were too strict, the step taken by the Ministry is to obtain the implementation method through approval by the Finance Ministry, especially in terms of how to find a way to speed up its implementation.
“We don’t want to breach the procedures but with the Prime Minister’s directive to speed up the implementation of projects, there are certain methods that should be used.
“Coordination is done with all state/regional governments represented by their rural exco so that we can inform them of the implementation rules,” he said.
He also wants all state/regional governments to monitor to expedite existing physical projects that KKDW has submitted to them.
Friday’s meeting decided that the state/regional rural excos coordinate the rural programmes that had been jointly agreed by the KKDW and state/regional governments before this and implement them this year.
