PUTATAN: Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, Datuk Ewon Benedick, pledged to focus his leadership on two main priorities of reducing poverty in Sabah and striving to ensure implementation of delayed Federal projects in the State.
He said Sabah is often labelled as having a high poverty rate and still has over 400 Federal projects that have yet to commence.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“That is why I have chosen to focus on the responsibilities assigned to me because I am certain that the Sabah people want leadership with a clear direction. Without compromising my ministry’s existing focus nationwide, I want this ministry to provide additional attention to Sabah and Sarawak.
“Through the Domestic Look East Policy from the perspective of my ministry, I want the ministry to give extra focus to Sabah and Sarawak while maintaining its current commitments across the country.
SPONSORED CONTENT How Spritzer’s silica rich natural mineral water makes your skin healthier When it comes to skincare, the first thought on our minds would be beauty products such as serums, creams, and masks. However, beauty experts and even researchers have stated that drinking more water can be just as crucial for your skin's health. Read more “Entrepreneurship, cooperatives, and education-related assistance will serve as platforms to help lift the people of Sabah out of poverty.”
Ewon said this after officiating Chinese New Year celebration organised by the Putatan Tiong Hwa Community Welfare Organization and Upko Putatan in collaboration with the UTC Kota Kinabalu Senior Citizens Activity Center Organization, at Putatan Mall here, last Sunday.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});In addressing the Chinese community’s needs here, Ewon, who is also Penampang MP, allocated RM60,000 from his ministry’s special allocation with RM30,000 each to SRJKC Hwa Shiong Putatan and Tai Pak Kung Temple Putatan.
He also presented a RM10,000 contribution from the Member of Parliament’s “Sentuhan Kasih” with RM5,000 each to the organiser of the event, Putatan Tiong Hwa Community Welfare Organization and the UTC Kota Kinabalu Senior Citizens Activity Center (KK Pawe).
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});He also presented food basket contribution and red packets to some 200 recipients consisting of cancer patients, single mothers and senior citizens.
As Chairman of the Special Committee on Federal Government Project Monitoring and Coordination, Ewon vowed to ensure that any pending Federal projects in Sabah since the 10th, 11th and 12th Malaysia Plans (RMK10, RMK11, RMK12) will be implemented.
“My KPI (Key Performance Indicator) is to ensure these projects commence, and as a Minister from Sabah, I take this responsibility very seriously. I chair these meetings every month to find solutions.
“Land issues and rising costs are among the main reasons why some projects have yet to be implemented,” he said.
A possible solution to address these projects, Ewon said is those people-oriented based projects under RMK10 and RMK11 that have not commenced will be placed under a different category.
This is because, he said, some of these projects cannot be implemented because of site changes and significant cost increases, cannot be implemented because of site changes and significant cost increases.
“When there are significant cost increases, the Ministry of Economic Affairs also needs time to review and approve the changes. If approval cannot be obtained, the Notice of Change (NOC) process will not proceed, and therefore the project cannot be implemented.
“So, what is the solution? We will postpone the project and include it in the 13th Malaysia Plan. The original allocation for the project, based on the initial budget, can then be used to finance other ongoing projects.
“Alternatively, the second proposal is to adopt a Design-to-Cost approach, which means we will implement the project based on the original allocation,” he said.
According to Ewon, he accepted the responsibility entrusted to him by the Deputy Prime Minister II to manage the Special Committee every month to ensure projects that have yet started to be initiated and implemented.
“The Sabah Government and Sabah leaders, including myself, must take a lesson from these plans. The 13th Malaysia Plan and beyond should not have allocations that cannot be spent, especially those allocated to Sabah. We must reflect on why so many projects from the 12th Malaysia Plan and earlier could not be initiated.
“So, what is the lesson here? What can we learn from this? We must ensure that site issues and cost issues are addressed and finalised from the very beginning – not just stating the project requirements, putting the project title, and estimating the cost, only for the site to change, the scope to change, and the costs to change later on.
In the end, the ones who lose out are the people.
“Let us take this lesson seriously and ensure that the 13th Malaysia Plan and future plans are better for Sabah,” he said.
As Chairman of Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sabah, Ewon said all leaders in Sabah, regardless of political affiliation, must unite for the benefit of the people.
“There are too many political conflicts that do not benefit Sabah. We must focus on cooperation and unity to address poverty and ensure development projects are carried out.
“That is why I refuse to engage in political disputes, as they do not help solve the people’s problems. Who holds what position is secondary – as main focus is reducing poverty in Sabah.
“I also have a duty within my Ministry to implement policies and to ensure federal projects in Sabah that have yet to start are executed.
“In the end, the people will judge whether my leadership has fulfilled these responsibilities. I believe that other leaders from Sabah share the same focus, and I urge all leaders, regardless of political affiliation, to unite for the people of Sabah,” he said.
As President of the United Progressive Kinabalu Organization (Upko), Ewon reaffirmed that Upko and PH Sabah remain open to discussions on Sabah’s future, including government stability at both the federal and state levels.
He said unity and collaboration are crucial, as political stability at both levels is key to improving Sabah’s situation, particularly in addressing poverty and development projects.
Also present were Upko Putatan divisional head Datuk Dr Marcus M Mojigoh, Putatan Tiong Hwa Community Welfare Organization head Poh Wing Hiung and community leaders.