KINABATANGAN: The Rural and Regional Development Ministry (KKDW) will work with the Sabah Government to expand rural water and electricity supply, including through alternative solutions such as mini-hydro and solar for remote areas, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic).
Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, said Sabah receives substantial KKDW allocations, with projects below RM50 million implemented by state agencies and monitored by the ministry, noting the state’s vast geography and high costs of extending supply from the national grid.
He said Federal–State cooperation and new technologies were crucial, adding that rural water and electricity provision would remain a priority alongside the completion of the Pan Borneo Highway in Sabah.
Zahid told a press conference after officiating the Sentuhan Kasih Desa Programme involving Felcra and Risda at Kota Kinabatangan town square on Thursday, where assistance and contributions totalling more than RM1.1 million were presented to beneficiaries, including business premises, rural industry, education, human capital development, water tanks, food baskets, agricultural infrastructure and Mara schooling aid for 600 B40 students.
Also present were Barisan Nasional (BN) Sabah deputy chairman and Sukau assemblyman Datuk Jafry Ariffin, BN candidates Mohd Kurniawan Naim Moktar and Mohd Ismail Ayob, with Zahid expressing confidence in both candidates and calling for stronger cohesion within BN Sabah’s leadership to strengthen cooperation ahead of the next general election.
