‘13MP to guide five Sarawak sick projects'

The Star

3 days ago

Get the ball rolling: Ahmad Zahid (right) attending the special meeting on the implementation of the ministry's development projects in Kuching. — Bernama
KUCHING: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi wants the five projects categorised as 'sick projects' in Sarawak involving the Rural and Regional Development Minis­try under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) and 12MP to be completed during the 13MP period.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Rural and Regional Development Minister, said the causes for the projects' delay included site issues such as permits, land acquisition and overlapping pipe alignments, in addition to weather conditions.
'Since the 13MP will be tabled at the coming Dewan Rakyat session, any sick projects will be expedited and its completion period must be within the 13MP, namely from Rolling Plan 1 to 5.
'For example, for non-sick projects but projects that have been delayed, namely the Maktab Rendah Sains Mara in Lawas, which has obtained approval but is not yet implemented ... my instruction is that it must be implemented under the 13MP Rolling Plan 1,' he told Bernama here yesterday.
He said this at a media conference after attending the special meeting on the implementation of the ministry's development projects in Sarawak here.
Ahmad Zahid said that following the landslide incident in Kampung Lereng Bukit, Miri in January, which completely damaged 14 houses, efforts to rebuild the houses of all the affected residents would be carried out after the Gawai Day celebration.
'A suitable plot of land has been obtained as determined by the Sarawak Land Custody and Development Authority, with the implementation carried out by the state government agency,' he said, adding that the incident affected a total of 277 residents in the affected settlement.
He also said that his ministry plans to set up the Mara Poly-Tech College (KPTM) of Sarawak either in Kuching or Samarahan to expand opportunities for youths in the state to further their studies at the pre-diploma, diploma and foundation level.
He is targeting a total of 1,000 students to study at the KPTM by 2028.
'We plan to start with about 200 students and, in the following years, we expect to take in 500 students yearly,' he said, adding that KPTM will offer studies in the fields of business, information technology and humanities.
Also present were Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian, Deputy Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Rubiah Wang and Sarawak Utilities and Telecommu­nica­tions Minister Datuk Julaihi Narawi.
Earlier, the nearly two-hour special meeting aimed to coordinate the implementation of the ministry's rural development projects in Sarawak to ensure the people can enjoy the basic facilities and infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the ministry said in a statement that Sarawak has received an allocation of RM3.2bil under the 12MP, involving the implementation of 403 programmes and projects, at a total project cost of RM21.73bil.
It added that of the total, 178 projects or 44.71% have been identified as still in the pre-­implementation status, with 155 projects having been approved from 2021 to this year.