Kota Kinabalu: Sindumin Assemblyman Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob proposed the establishment of a regional development agency in Sabah to accelerate development plans in districts.
He said currently, development implementation in the State remains disorganised, partly due to poor coordination between departments and delays by government agencies in approving development plans.
“For example, a land application for the development of a new township in the Marintaman area of Sipitang has yet to be realised due to coordination issues between departments responsible for land approvals,” he said.
Dr Yusof, who is also Chairman of Qhazanah Sabah Berhad, said the plan to establish a new township is to support the anticipated economic growth in Sipitang stemming from the Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park (Sogip).
He noted that the existing Sipitang town is too small and will require expansion through the development of a new township as population would have increased once several projects begin operating in Sogip over the next three years.
“The proposed development area falls under the jurisdiction of the District Council but was referred to the Lands and Surveys Department, and subsequently to the Mineral and Geoscience Department.
To date, no decision has been made.
“There needs to be better coordination between departments when approving development plans at the district level to ensure timely implementation,” he said, adding that in Sarawak, development projects are well-coordinated at the district level through the existence of Regional Development Agencies.
Such an agency, he said, would be empowered to make independent decisions regarding development plans at the district level without needing to refer to multiple departments.
Dr Yusof also urged government officers, especially those involved in infrastructure, to regularly go down to the ground and change their approach to ensure issues are effectively addressed.
As an example, he pointed out that water supply disruptions caused by burst pipes should be repaired within 24 hours, but in many cases, repair works have taken longer than that.
“These issues and public complaints must be addressed promptly. The people are not angry, but they do not want to endure prolonged problems,” he said.
Regarding electricity supply, he emphasised the importance of maintaining power cables that are covered by tree branches to avoid power outages in affected areas.
Based on his observations, he said many power lines and poles in Sipitang are currently obstructed by overgrown branches.