Kota Kinabalu: The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) PH-Plus Government remains committed to addressing various public issues, including water and electricity supply, infrastructure and economic development, despite facing numerous accusations from the opposition.
Kota Kinabalu Gagasan Rakyat Division Chief Mohd Bahrin Abd Karim said claims made by Sabah Umno Chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, alleging that the State Government has failed to resolve basic public issues, are inaccurate and political rhetoric.
He said the State Government acknowledges the challenges in providing clean water supply and has taken proactive short-term and long-term measures to address them.
He added that various initiatives, including the maintenance and upgrading of water treatment plants and the construction of new water treatment plants, are being actively implemented with significant allocations to expedite the resolution.
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“It should be noted that issues related to basic facilities, such as water supply, are inherited from the previous government administrations, including the Warisan era.
“The previous administrations failed to resolve these issues which were passed on to the GRS-PH Plus Government. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, the State Government is doing its utmost to resolve these problems,” Mohd Bahrin said, in a statement, Tuesday.
On power supply, Mohd Bahrin said outages are not a new issue, but the State Government is implementing measures to strengthen the energy system.
He said these include the development of new generation projects and a transition to green energy as a long-term solution.
On infrastructure development, he said over the past three years, GRS has implemented various infrastructure projects, including road construction and the Pan Borneo Highway project, which is now in a critical phase of implementation.
“Rural and village roads are also being upgraded in stages to ensure the well-being of the people,” he said.
On economic and job opportunities, Mohd Bahrin said Sabah is now one of the top investment destinations in Malaysia, with efforts to attract foreign and domestic investments expected to create more job opportunities.
He said the GRS Government emphasises that any existing weaknesses are being addressed with continuous efforts, rather than being used as political capital as done by the opposition parties.
“The people of Sabah are wise in distinguishing between reality and political rhetoric. The State Government will continue to strive for the progress of Sabah and not just make empty promises,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gagasan Rakyat supreme council member Datuk Jaffari Waliam questioned what Bung had done to address issues when he was the State Works Minister.
He said Bung’s accusations that the GRS-PH Plus Government had failed to address basic infrastructure problems were baseless.
“Instead of pointing fingers, Bung should ask himself what he accomplished during his tenure as the Sabah Works Minister before the Langkah Kinabalu political shift,” he said, in a statement.
Jaffari noted that issues such as road damage, which Bung has criticised, were already present when he held the portfolio, yet he had failed to resolve them.
“Even now, despite constraints, the State Government remains committed to repairing these roads, including federal roads that fall under the responsibility of the Federal Government,” he said.
On water and electricity issues, Jaffari said the State Government had implemented long-term solutions, including the construction of key projects such as the Babagon Dam expansion, Sabah’s first solar energy project and the RM4 billion Ulu Padas Dam project in Tenom, set to be completed by 2027.
He added that the RM397 million expansion of the Kogopan Water Treatment Plant, expected to be completed by August 2026, would help address Sabah’s water supply issues.
Jaffari also highlighted that the Hajiji-led government had prioritised economic growth and job creation, citing the steady increase in state revenue, with the 2025 state budget reaching a historic RM6.42 billion.
“The Chief Minister has successfully attracted foreign investors, creating job opportunities for Sabahans. This contradicts Bung’s claim that Sabahans are forced to seek jobs in the peninsula and abroad,” he said.
Addressing the rising cost of living, Jaffari pointed out that the State Government had introduced the Sentuhan Kasih Rakyat (Sentosa) initiative, which provides RM300 in monthly financial aid to the poorest households from January to December 2025.
Additionally, he said, the SMJ free housing programme, which began in 2022, had expanded to include 40 more units in each state constituency, bringing the total to 3,000 units across Sabah at a cost of RM250 million.
“For the first time, the State Government has also introduced a one-off RM5,000 grant for small roadside traders this year,” he said.
Jaffari questioned whether Bung was deliberately ignoring these initiatives to discredit the current administration.
“The reality is that the GRS-PH Plus government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, is not a failed government. Instead, it is actively working to resolve longstanding issues that have existed for years,” he said.
