THE expansion of Kudat Port will be on the back-burner until Sabah resolves its debt woes, said Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal today. 

He said the state government could ill afford to undertake the revamp at present. 

“We still have debts. The government will only spend on what it can afford and nothing beyond its capacity. 

“It will mean nothing if Sabah is developed but future generations end up in debt,” he said at Parti Warisan Sabah’s Hari Raya open house today. 

The state government has only RM1.6089 billion to spend until the next budget. It presently owes the federal government RM2.871 billion, plus another RM1 billion in bonds.  

The expansion of the deep-sea port in Kudat was proposed by state Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Junz Wong but met with various criticism from local industry players. 

Wong said the plan would enable the port to receive giant main line operator ships. 

 “Give us some time to deliver on the Kudat Port project. We may not focus on the project this year but maybe next year. 

“We want future developments in Sabah to belong to the government, Sabahans and its future generations,” he said. 

Kudat Port is now projects presently shelved or under review, like the Tanjung Aru Eco Development (TAED) project, as Sabah looks to trim its spending. 

Sahfie said Sabah had lost many of its entities under the previous administrations, such as the ailing Sabah Forestry Industries (SFI) that was sold by its owner, India-based company Ballapur Industries. He said SFI also held acres of land titles and timber concessions.

Shafie also said that Yayasan Sabah saw some of its subsidiaries fall into the hands of private companies. 

Going forward, Shafie said Sabah would rely on the state’s abundance of natural resources to develop local industries, as well as for wealth and job creation. 

He said Wong would be among the ministers tasked with overseeing certain projects aimed at developing the state. 

Among them, Shafie said, were the creation of the East Coast Fish and Fruits Terminal Hub in Sabah’s east coast. 

He also suggested that Wong base sardine or tuna canneries in Semporna as waters there are abundants with the fishes.  

He said the government was willing to sacrifice many things, including royalties from its timber exports, to develop its own industries and create jobs for Sabahans. 

“The creation of industries will help the Warisan-led government change the mindset of Sabahans so that they will no longer depend on the government for cash aid, such as BR1M. 

“Imagine if they were jobless; they would have to wait for barely a few thousand ringgit for the whole year. If we develop industries, they can generate a monthly income. 

“Sabahans will no longer depend on charity and instead fend for themselves.” – July 8, 2018.