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KOTA KINABALU – Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has rubbished claims that he had done nothing for Sabah during his time as chief minister.
In an apparent response to Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, the Warisan president said he had imposed initiatives that the GRS ruling state government has yielded benefits from.
He cited the 5% sales tax on petroleum products and settlement of the RM1 billion debt accumulated during the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) state government during the Warisan-PH administration.
“How does he (Hajiji) know Sabah was not managed well? When he (Hajiji) became chief minister, he got the 5% sales tax.
“We also were able to settle the RM1 billion debt racked up by the previous BN government.
“We were able to allocate RM600 million during the pandemic.
“I had also allocated RM1 million each to security personnel and health authorities. No other states had done this,” said Shafie.
Shafie also said he had given out many scholarships to students via Yayasan Sabah, while sending senior officers for short courses at the Oxford and Cambridge universities to enhance their skills.
The overall collection from the sales tax on petroleum products to Sabah currently stands at RM2.458 billion since the tax was implemented on April 1, 2020.
At a function in Kota Marudu earlier, Hajiji said the Warisan-led Sabah government only lasted two years and failed to do anything good during its reign.
The two leaders have been attacking each other while running a campaign trail to capture parliamentary seats in Sabah. – The Vibes, November 13, 2022