SABAH’S record RM1.612 billion Supplementary Supply Bill must deliver immediate improvements on the ground and not be slowed by bureaucracy, Paginatan assemblyman Datuk Rusdin Riman said.
Supporting the Bill, Rusdin said the additional allocation should be treated as a strategic investment to accelerate infrastructure, poverty eradication and essential services, particularly in rural areas.
“The approval of this record-breaking budget will mean little if implementation is slow. Every ringgit approved must result in completed bridges, better roads, land titles and electricity reaching rural homes,” he said.
The supplementary allocation, the largest in Sabah’s history, raises the state’s 2026 expenditure to RM8.013 billion from the original RM6.401 billion budget.
Rusdin said Paginatan still had 958 poor households and two hardcore poor households as of June, underscoring the need to narrow the development gap between urban and rural communities.
He urged the government to prioritise upgrades to key rural roads, expedite reconstruction of the Sungai Melout bridge destroyed by floods last December and repair suspension bridges in Kampung Miruru and Kampung Bito’on.
Rusdin also called for a review of compensation rates for land acquired under the Pan Borneo Highway project, saying many landowners had rejected offers that were below market value.
He appealed for faster processing of Native Customary Rights land surveys and titles, noting that many farmers remained ineligible for government assistance without legal ownership documents.
Rusdin highlighted persistent water shortages despite the Sabah Water Department receiving an additional RM349.5 million, bringing its total 2026 allocation to RM1.4 billion.
He also urged the government to speed up electricity connections for villages with existing infrastructure and expand power supply to remote communities still without access.
Improved telecommunications coverage was equally critical, he said, calling for faster construction of telecom towers in rural areas.
Rusdin said he fully supported the Supplementary Supply Bill 2026, adding that the record allocation should translate into tangible benefits for Sabahans without delay.
