Kota Kinabalu: Kota Belud MP Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis has demanded transparency over the RM650 million Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project in Lahad Datu, questioning why it costs more than double a similar project in Peninsular Malaysia despite having the same capacity and contractor.
Debating the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13) in Parliament, Munirah said she was shocked by the price gap and wants Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and Sabah Electricity to explain the justification behind the figures.
“I heard that the Sabah BESS project costs RM650 million, while in the peninsula it’s only RM300 million. The capacity is the same, the contractor is the same. So why is the cost so different?” she said.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});“Is it true? If so, what is the technical and financial reasoning behind this decision? Sabahans deserve answers — this is public money we’re talking about.”
The BESS facility in Lahad Datu, located on Sabah’s east coast, has been touted as one of Southeast Asia’s largest energy storage systems, aimed at stabilising electricity supply in the region.
However, Munirah said that strategic importance should not be used to mask questionable financial decisions.
She also criticised the RMK13 as unfair, saying it continues to sideline Sabah and Sarawak.
“Why not give half the budget to Borneo for once?” she asked.
“After 12 national plans, RMK13 still has no dedicated focus for Borneo. Not even one of the four strategic pillars mentions Sabah or Sarawak specifically. How long more are we expected to wait?” she asked.
“Would the country go bankrupt if, for once, half the national development budget was allocated to Sabah and Sarawak? Just for five years — what are we so afraid of?”
Munirah said Sabah and Sarawak have for decades contributed to the national economy through oil and gas, and yet remain far behind in basic infrastructure, healthcare, education and income levels.
“We keep hearing about Borneo’s potential, but the truth is we’ve already given so much. Now we need real political will to close the development gap.”
On healthcare, Munirah said Sabah’s system is already near breaking point, citing chronic staff shortages, poor facilities and delayed projects that continue to leave rural residents behind.
“What’s happening to the new Kota Belud hospital? The Mantanani clinic? There’s always some excuse or delay. People are suffering. Doctors are burning out. Nurses are overworked. And we’re still waiting,” she said.
She reminded Parliament that the doctor shortage in Sabah is not new and had existed long before the national conversation on contract doctors began.
“We’ve been warning about this for years. The pandemic only highlighted what we already knew — the gap between Sabah and the peninsula is massive.”
On education, Munirah supported the RM67 billion allocation and the government’s move to make preschool compulsory, but warned that throwing money at school buildings alone is not enough.
“Build schools with water, roads, electricity and internet. Otherwise, what are we really building? A classroom in the middle of nowhere that no one can reach?” she said.
She also pushed back against federal planners who continue to use peninsula models like Sekinchan as the benchmark for rural development in Sabah.
“Sekinchan was developed with full planning. Kota Belud grew organically, village by village, generation by generation. Our irrigation systems must reflect that reality,” she said.
Munirah called for pipe-based irrigation systems in hilly areas of Kota Belud and demanded immediate compensation for rice farmers in Piasau Sumpingon, who have been unable to plant paddy for seven consecutive seasons due to a poorly planned irrigation project.
“No one even consulted the farmers. The project disrupted their water supply, and now they can’t earn a living. You can’t postpone hunger. This is their only source of income, and it’s been gone for years.”
She said the government must not only compensate the affected farmers but also help them reopen fields that are now overgrown and unproductive.
On fisheries, Munirah proposed turning Kota Belud into a deep-sea fish landing hub, using the old Ranko port and the Pan Borneo Highway for access — but said that potential is being blocked by the silted Sungai Abai estuary.
“I’ve raised this in Parliament over and over. The mouth of the river is too shallow. The upper stream is deeper than the estuary — and yet nothing is done,” she said.
“The fishermen are the ones suffering. Not the sand. Dredge the muara, not the hulu.”
She also addressed the government’s pledge to build one million affordable homes within 10 years but warned against sacrificing liveability for numbers.
“Don’t let our people end up living in what feels like chicken cages. Set proper standards for home sizes. We don’t want a Hong Kong-style housing crisis in Malaysia.”
