Where has Sabah's timber wealth gone? Umno rep questions state govt as Sabahans still face blackouts, water cuts and poor roads despite RM5.3b revenue
KOTA KINABALU, May 13 — Despite Sabah raking in billions in timber revenue over the past two decades, a Sabah Umno leader said the state continues to grapple with basic infrastructure like unreliable water and electricity supply and damaged roads.
Sabah Umno information chief Datuk Suhaimi Nasir said that the state government announcement that it generated RM5.3 billion in timber royalties since 1999 was frustrating Sabahans, who wonder why the state has failed to resolve its long-standing infrastructural challenges affecting them daily.
'If the state has earned billions, why are we still facing unresolved water, electricity, and road issues?
'From Libaran to Likas, from Tawau to Tuaran, the people are asking the same thing: where has all of Sabah's wealth gone?' said Suhaimi, who is also Libaran MP.
'Water and electricity cuts are not even confined to rural districts. In the state capital Kota Kinabalu itself, outages have become routine. Water tanks and backup generators are not just for factories — but for every household,' he said.
Suhaimi also brought up road conditions which were ridden with potholes, damaged and dangerous stretches.
'In Libaran, rural communities are still waiting for basic public infrastructure that should be the priority of any state government,' he said.
Suhaimi said that the state government announces various 'successes' nearly every day — from forest certifications and carbon plans to ecological allocations — yet people are still lighting candles at night, storing water in containers and dodging potholes on the roads.
'Is this the true face of the progress being boasted about? I believe the people of Sabah have been patient long enough. They are not rejecting development — they are simply asking for their right to live comfortably, supported by stable and continuous basic utilities.
'As an elected representative, I must stress that the people's voices should not be dismissed or labelled as 'sceptical'. They have the right to ask questions. They have the right to know.
The people of Sabah deserve better,' he said.
Last weekend, chief minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor announced that Sabah has collected royalties totalling RM5.3 billion from timber harvests from 1999 to 2023, translating to an average annual revenue of about RM213 million for the state government.
The department also reported a revenue increase of RM16 million from timber royalties, totalling RM171 million in 2024.
Two weeks ago, Hajiji also announced that Sabah's gross domestic product (GDP) had risen to RM83.2 billion in 2023 — an RM1.1 billion increase from the year before.
Opposition leader and Parti Warisan president Datuk Shafie Apdal also recently questioned the state's government on paper 'progress' when the reality on the ground was that people were still living in hardship.
'They can parade data on TV every day, but the people on the ground are suffering. Prices of goods are high. There are no jobs. Basic infrastructure is not as good as what they claim,' he was quoted saying during his party's launch of the Kaamatan Festival in Limbahau Papar.
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