KOTA KINABALU, Dec 31 — Sabah has done well in 2022 under the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Roadmap, having garnered RM6.6 billion in revenue, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
He said it was the best performance by the state government since independence through the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
In his New Year message, Hajiji said the state government will not rest on its laurel and will continue to implement a robust policy to bring in more investments to the state and create more economic spin-offs as evidenced by the recently passed budget of RM5.138 billion for 2023.
“Under our investor-friendly SMJ initiatives, we have achieved record foreign direct investment, as well as domestic investments. The latest is the RM19.6 billion integrated green steel project at the Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park (SOGIP).
“Sabah is also expected to collect revenue of RM2.45 billion annually in royalties and State Sales Tax (SST) payments from oil and gas,” he added.
However, he said, all these successes and future plans will not mean anything if the state does not have a conducive environment to pursue its development goals.
“For this to happen, it is crucial that we have political stability. We must discard any forms of divisiveness that will only pull us apart. We must forge forward into the new year with resolve, united in diversity and doing good in accordance with the mandate given to us by the rakyat.
“Now that the election dust has settled, it is time for all to close ranks, work together and put aside differences so that we can continue on doing good for Sabah. Let us all unite and move forward to focus on economic recovery. Much still has to be done,” he said.
