‘Cut all red tape’ order

Kota Kinabalu: The State Government wants all hurdles hampering investments to be removed to facilitate investments into Sabah, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor. 

“Red tape faced by well-meaning investors will only hurt our efforts to draw investors to Sabah, hence we must remove them,” he said, when chairing the first board meeting of Invest Sabah Bhd (ISB), Friday.

Invest Sabah Bhd was established December 2020 under the purview of the Industrial Development Ministry to promote both local and foreign investments. 

It would act as a one-stop agency for investments into the State providing investors with information on investment requirements including licensing approvals and building networking platforms, among others.

Hajiji said ISB would also act as the secretariat for an investment committee comprising state and federal agencies as well as relevant stakeholders to vet all investment proposals. 

He said ISB’s success would be a boon to the state’s economic progress in achieving one of the main thrusts of the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development plan. 

SMJ’s focus would be on three main thrusts, namely agriculture, tourism and industrial sectors; human capital and people’s well-being, as well as infrastructure network and green sustainability.

The meeting endorsed the appointment Deputy Chief Minister cum Industrial Development Minister Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam as ISB Deputy Chairman.

The appointed Board  Members are State Secretary Datuk Seri Sr Safar Untong, State Attorney-General Datuk Nor Asiah Mohd Yusof, Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary Tuan Rusdin Riman, Industrial Development Ministry Permanent Secretary Thomas Logijin, Land and Surveys Director Bernard Liew, State Economic Planning Unit Director Helena Masry, Mida Malaysia CEO Dato Azman Mahmud, Sabah Economic Advisory Council members Datuk Tan Kim Beng and Datuk John Lo, Datuk Madiyem Layapan, Company Secretary Fu Fui Leong (and Board Secretary Anndirrina Chong(Board Secretary).

Datuk Madiyem Layapan was also officially endorsed as ISB’s Chief Executive Officer.