KOTA BELUD: Sabah Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk James Ratib has called for increased allocations under Budget 2027 to address severe infrastructure deficiencies in Beluran, particularly in Paitan and Sugut.
James, who is also Sugut Assemblyman, said his constituency remained among the country’s 10 most underdeveloped areas and continued to face serious shortcomings in basic amenities, including electricity, clean water supply and road infrastructure.
He said some areas in Sugut still had no electricity supply, while existing hybrid solar systems provided by the Federal Rural and Regional Development Ministry (KKDW) were no longer sufficient to meet growing demand.
“I sincerely hope that the capacity of the solar power systems in Paitan District can be increased, especially around the Paitan District Office, where villages in the surrounding areas still depend on the hybrid solar systems built by KKDW.
“However, the solar systems are no longer sufficient to cater to the people’s needs due to the rapid population growth in the area.
“In fact, the solar systems currently supply only 0.5 kilowatts, which is insufficient to meet the needs of residents, especially with the rapid population growth in the area,” he said.
James said this to reporters when met at the grand opening of JSK Mantanani Island Resort at Mantanani Island, officiated by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor, recently.
He was commenting on his wishlist for the constituency ahead of the tabling of Budget 2027, scheduled for this month.
James said additional solar capacity was urgently needed in Paitan, particularly around the Paitan District Office and surrounding villages.
He also proposed the establishment of a solar power centre as part of the planned Paitan Smart City development to ensure an adequate electricity supply for the project.
On water supply, he said the existing capacity was insufficient to serve more than 40,000 people dependent on the Paitan clean water supply system.
“I hope that in this Budget, the capacity of the water treatment plant can be increased because the existing capacity is clearly not enough to meet the demand,” he said.
James also urged the Federal Government to allocate more funds for road repairs, particularly roads damaged by major floods and other natural disasters since last year.
He said many roads in Beluran, especially in Paitan, had yet to be fully repaired.
“These two matters are very important to me. The same goes for roads, as many have still not been repaired following the major floods last year,” he said.
James hoped increased KKDW allocations would be channelled to Beluran, particularly Paitan, saying improved basic infrastructure was crucial to the development of the area and the wellbeing of its residents.
