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THE constant power failures in Sabah’s east coast would not have occurred if Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal had acted differently during his time as chief minister, Sabah Umno information chief Datuk Suhaimi Nasir claimed.
He said Shafie, while serving as chief minister in 2018, had a hand in the cancellation of the RM4.06 billion Trans-Sabah Gas Pipeline (TSGP) project.
“The increasingly serious electricity disruptions across Sabah — from Sandakan, Tawau, Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan and other districts — are not a new issue. Rather, they are the result of past energy policy failures,” Suhaimi said in a statement from Kota Kinabalu.
He pointed out that a critical factor was the decision of Shafie’s administration in 2018 not to defend the TSGP project.
The 662km pipeline, launched in 2016 under the Barisan Nasional government, was intended to run from Kimanis to Sandakan and Tawau to secure Sabah’s long-term energy needs.
“Unfortunately, after the change of government, TSGP was cancelled even though RM3.5 billion — or 88% of the project cost — had already been paid, despite only 13% of the physical work being completed,” Suhaimi said.
He said Shafie, as chief minister at the time, not only failed to defend Sabah’s interests but even welcomed the project’s cancellation, citing the federal government’s financial constraints.
Yet, had the project gone ahead, it would have been a crucial driver of energy stability on Sabah’s east coast, including Kinabatangan, he added.
Suhaimi said the consequences of that “weakness in leadership” are now being felt, compounded by what he described as the inefficiency of the present Gabungan Rakyat Sabah government in resolving electricity supply issues.
“As a result, the people of Sabah continue to face unstable electricity supply and repeated disruptions — problems that could have been avoided if TSGP had not been cancelled,” he said.
“Therefore, Shafie cannot shirk his moral and political responsibility by blaming the current government. The record clearly shows the problem stems from his failure to defend a strategic project initiated by BN in 2016.”
Suhaimi said Sabahans “deserve to know the truth” about the origins of the crisis, arguing that “only by understanding the root of the problem can we plan more sustainable solutions.”
The Libaran MP’s remarks came as a massive blackout on September 13 left six east coast districts without power after a key 275kV transmission line tripped.
The outage, which affected around 230,000 consumers, is being addressed as Sabah Electricity carries out repairs to the tower, with power supplies being restored in stages.
The outage also disrupted the entire Sandakan district’s water supply, as the Segaliud Water Treatment Plant was unable to operate.
In a recent Parliament session, then Economic Affairs Minister Rafizi Ramli explained that the federal government cancelled the TSGP after uncovering serious financial and operational irregularities. Both the TSGP and the related Multi-Product Pipeline were scrapped, with the government citing its fiscal position. – September 18, 2025
