Sabah rep slams minister's explanation of RM31 billion steel project delay
Published on: Thursday, June 05, 2025
Published on: Thu, Jun 05, 2025
By: FMT Reporters Text Size: Sabah assemblyman Calvin Chong said the state government should reveal all agreements with Esteel Enterprise Sabah Sdn Bhd as the public have a right to know the full details of such a major project. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA: A Warisan assemblyman has slammed Sabah industrial development minister Phoong Jin Zhe's explanation of the delays in the RM31 billion Esteel Enterprise steel project, calling it 'misleading and irresponsible'. Elopura assemblyman Calvin Chong also asked how such a major project could be announced in November 2022 without confirmed approvals, especially given the federal moratorium on manufacturing licences for the steel industry at the time. 'Phoong's statement that the project timeline was based on assumptions is baffling and irresponsible,' he said in a statement today. 'Does Phoong truly understand the scale and implications of a RM31 billion investment? This is not just the largest in Sabah's history. It is the largest in Malaysia since independence.' Chong called on the state government to disclose all agreements and terms involving Esteel Enterprise, saying the public deserved full transparency on a project of such scale. 'I support the investment if it can be verified in terms of implementation and financial capability. But all agreements between the government and the investors must be made public in a fair and transparent manner,' he said. He also questioned the delay in implementation, noting that the manufacturing licence was only approved in January 2025, more than two years after the project was announced. 'What happened to the thousands of job opportunities promised in November 2022?' he asked. On Monday, Phoong said the delay in the RM31 billion steel project was due to setbacks in obtaining the necessary approvals and securing a supply of natural gas. He said the initial projection for Esteel Enterprise's factory to begin operations in the fourth quarter of this year was based on the assumption that approvals would be obtained without delay. However, he said Putrajaya's two-year moratorium on manufacturing licences for steel-related industries created complications, with special approval only granted on Jan 24, 2025. Phoong also said the project cost was revised upward from RM20 billion to RM31 billion after the company factored in the cost of building the plant, jetty, and related facilities. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Express
2 hours ago
- Daily Express
Winning numbers, generous heart
Published on: Friday, June 06, 2025 Published on: Fri, Jun 06, 2025 Text Size: For illustrative purposes only. KUALA LUMPUR: A self-employed Malaysian man has donated his entire RM2.15 million Da Ma Cai lottery winnings to his former primary school, fulfilling a vow made during ancestral prayers. According to China Press , his lucky streak began with a small 1+3D bet that earned him RM60, including a RM50 note he tucked into his wallet and forgot. Advertisement While later praying at home, he felt a deep emotional calling and pledged to donate any future lottery winnings to his school. Soon after, he was drawn to the RM50 note in his wallet, where the numbers '140' on the serial caught his attention. He placed a 3+3D Bonus bet using '140' and its reverse '410', and selected the Chinese zodiac sign 'Tiger' to symbolise his gratitude to his mentors. To his amazement, the dmcGO app later revealed the winning combination as '410 + 140' with the zodiac 'Tiger', securing him RM2,151,664. Honouring a promise to his late grandfather and great-grandfather, both former educators, he donated the full amount to his alma mater in a gesture of gratitude. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
S$6k fine for man who falsely claimed Singapore minister made offensive remarks against Malays
Manmeet Singh Bahadar Singh pleaded guilty to knowingly committing an act that promoted disharmony between different racial groups. - ST SINGAPORE: A blogger was fined S$6,000 after he posted a TikTok video falsely claiming that Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo had made offensive remarks against Malays. Manmeet Singh Bahadar Singh, 57, pleaded guilty on June 6 to knowingly committing an act that promoted disharmony between different racial groups. Manmeet had uploaded a video on TikTok on Aug 12, 2024, after receiving a link to a WordPress blog post via WhatsApp from an unknown person. The blog post claimed that Teo made an offensive remark against Malays when asked about racial progress during an interview with the Chinese media about Singapore's development since 1965. Manmeet repeated the blog post's allegations in his video and told his viewers to 'go look it up'. Manmeet added: 'I have been voicing out for, you know, against racial discrimination in Singapore. And look what happened now? My prediction's right!' At the end of the video, he also uttered the phrase 'bring them down'. His TikTok account had over 9,000 followers when he uploaded the video, which was online long enough for Teo's colleagues and a reporter to ask the minister about it. About four hours after the video was uploaded, Teo informed her press secretary, who downloaded a copy of the video and made a police report. Suspecting that his claims were false, Manmeet removed the TikTok video later that day. He subsequently posted another video apologising to Teo, admitting that his claims were false. Teo took to various social media platforms to clarify that the allegations were false. Manmeet was arrested on Feb 4 and released on bail the next day. For promoting racial disharmony, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined, or both. In a statement to The Straits Times, Teo said: 'Growing up in the 1970s, I have seen for myself how precious – and fragile – racial and religious harmony is in our diverse society. It is why I do not take for granted the many friendships with schoolmates, colleagues and community leaders of different faiths or races.' She added that the accusation made by Manmeet against her was serious and cast a shadow on these friendships. 'Besides feeling personally hurt, I was concerned about the hurt to my friends if things were not put right,' she said, adding that this was why her press secretary had made a police report. 'With the sentencing passed, I hope to put this episode behind me. Our world threatens to fall apart because of all kinds of hatred and conflicts. I hope this episode reminds us all to be careful not to sow discord but instead to spread peace,' said Teo. - The Straits Times/ANN
Daily Express
6 hours ago
- Daily Express
Most Petronas workers to be retrenched are on contract, says Prime Minister
Published on: Friday, June 06, 2025 Published on: Fri, Jun 06, 2025 By: Mohamad Fadli, FMT Text Size: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he will contact his Thai counterpart, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, this afternoon to discuss the Thai-Cambodia border dispute. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA: Most of those to be retrenched in the impending 10% cut to Petronas's workforce are contract workers, says Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. 'Most of them are on contract,' he told reporters briefly in Dengkil, Selangor, today. Advertisement He was asked to comment on the national oil and gas company's announcement that it intends to reduce its headcount by more than 5,000 people, and to freeze hiring until December 2026. The retrenchment plan is part of a company-wide restructuring as Petronas looks to reduce costs due to falling crude prices. Petronas president and group CEO Tengku Muhammad Taufik Aziz was reported as saying yesterday that the company sets its budget based on Brent crude oil priced at around US$75 to US$80 per barrel. The global benchmark is currently trading near US$65, down about 13% this year, as trade tensions threaten global growth and OPEC+ restores production. Petronas's net income slid 32% in 2024 after a 21% drop in 2023. Separately, Anwar said he will contact Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra this afternoon to discuss the Thai-Cambodia border dispute. 'We will release a statement after that,' he said. Thailand and Cambodia have seen military clashes since 2008, resulting in at least 28 deaths. The most recent occurred on May 28 when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a location known as the Emerald Triangle, a joint border area between Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
