Mustapha: RM1.7b Sabah rural roads postponed, not scrapped

Politics & Governance Calculating...

🇲🇾 Malay

🇨🇳 Mandarin

🇮🇳 Tamil

↩️ Show Original

Kritik
03 Nov 2026
90
SubCategory | Government Policies

Mustapha: RM1.7b Sabah rural roads postponed, not scrapped

By Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: Rural road development projects worth RM1.7 billion in Sabah have not been cancelled but merely postponed pending a review and realignment of allocation ceilings, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud stressed.

He said Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan had provided a detailed explanation on the matter during the winding-up of the policy-stage debate on the Supply (Budget) 2027 Bill for the Finance Ministry in the Dewan Rakyat last Thursday.

“I stand by my statement that these projects have not been cancelled; they have only been postponed, and this has been explained in detail by the Finance Minister II.

“When the matter was raised in this august House, people outside started asking questions, and the media asked as well. So, I had to respond based on the available facts. Alhamdulillah, the Finance Minister II has provided a clear explanation for our mutual understanding,” he said when winding up the committee-stage debate on the Bill for the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

The status of the projects had previously sparked controversy and questions following allegations of conflicting statements regarding the postponement of 13 rural road infrastructure projects, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak.

Earlier, Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau (UPKO-Tuaran), when interjecting, sought clarification on the actual status of the 13 projects following a statement allegedly made by the Deputy Prime Minister that the projects had been cancelled.

He also questioned the role of the Sabah and Sarawak Affairs portfolio in championing the issue, given that the explanation had come from the Finance Ministry.

Datuk Willie Mongin (GPS-Puncak Borneo), who also interjected, claimed that contractors in his constituency had informed him of receiving letters cancelling rural road development projects, and called for the matter to be addressed transparently and consistently.

In response, Mustapha agreed that policy and project implementation matters should be discussed internally at Cabinet level and should not be raised in the House, to avoid confusion among the public.

In another development, Mustapha proposed that admissions to medical programmes at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) give priority to students born in Sabah as a long-term measure to address the shortage of medical personnel in the state.

He said the proposal took into account the issue of 245 medical officers who had received placement letters but failed to report for duty in the state.

Wilfred had earlier expressed concern that the doctors’ failure to report for duty had contributed to a shortage of medical personnel in many hospitals in Sabah, despite the various placement allowances provided by the government.

“We must ensure that students admitted to UMS medical programmes are Sabahans. If Sabah-born students are qualified, especially those with good academic results, this will help ensure that they remain in the state and serve in Sabah,” he said.

He also proposed that a service requirement in Sabah be imposed on medical students from other states if they were admitted to the programmes.

The Dewan Rakyat subsequently approved the RM8,798,331,500 allocation for the Prime Minister’s Department’s operating and development expenditure under Budget 2027, with a majority vote, following debate by 42 MPs.

The sitting resumes today.

Source: mustapha-rm1-7b-sabah-rural-roads-postponed

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of Kritik.com.my. As an open platform, we welcome diverse perspectives, but the accuracy and integrity of contributed content remain the responsibility of the individual writer. Readers are encouraged to critically evaluate the information presented.

AI Summary

Analyzing article content...

AI-generated summary of key points

0 Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment!

Court Politics Donald Trump Martial Law South Korea Selangor International Business Summit 2025 Tariff Strategy Economic Reforms Trade Diversification Supply Chain Resilience Export Promotion US Malaysia Trade Fire Gas Pipeline Water

Grow Your Business With Kritikal News

Reach a wider audience and boost your sales — advertise your product here.