KOTA KINABALU: The agreement of the federal government to allow Sabah to handle development projects of up to RM50 million is seen as the 'first baby step' to fulfilling the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Sabah Bumiputera Chamber of Commerce (DPBS) president Datuk Hasnol Ayub said it is the first step of the new central government to push for the agreement of other matters as contained in MA63.
In fact, it also shows the determination and commitment of the Unity Government in implementing MA63 for Sabah after the formation of the government in November last year.
"Perhaps the other (matters in MA63), are not 'low hanging fruits', perhaps to meet the other matters require amendment of enactments which need to be brought to Parliament or restructuring of the policy which is still under discussion and takes time," he told Bernama.
Hasnol said Sabah also needs to be prepared and have a platform to receive and handle the allocation so that it has a greater impact on the people of Sabah.
He said the devolution also needs to be looked at in several aspects including how the state government will implement it, monitoring in terms of Sabah's economy and environment and, measuring the extent the results of the devolution will benefit the people.
Taking the example of Sedia, Hasnol said the agency already has a template that can be used as a guide and reference because it has more than 10 years of experience implementing projects worth billions of ringgit.
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