Latest news with #SabahLegislativeAssembly
Borneo Post
21-07-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
Overhaul pipelines to resolve Sabah's water woes - expert
Amarjit Singh KOTA KINABALU (July 21): Sabah's chronic water supply problems are unlikely to be resolved unless the state urgently replaces its ageing pipeline network, despite millions being spent on new treatment plants, says a water expert. Former Sabah Water Department director Datuk Amarjit Singh warned that the core issue lies not in production capacity, but in the state's deteriorating water distribution system. Most of Sabah's pipelines, many made of asbestos cement and decades old, can no longer handle the increased volumes produced by upgraded treatment facilities. 'The problem will remain as long as the pipes are not replaced to match the upgraded plant capacity,' he said in a statement today. 'You can treat five million litres a day, but if the pipes can't deliver it, people still won't get water.' Amarjit, a water engineer by training, was responding to Deputy Chief Minister and Works Minister Datuk Ir Shahelmey Yahya's remarks regarding continued supply disruptions in Putatan and Kota Kinabalu, even though the new Kasigui treatment plant in Penampang is already producing treated water. Shahelmey recently expressed frustration over the issue, noting that the plant, which has a capacity of five million litres per day, is only producing three to four million litres due to distribution limitations. Amarjit also referred to Shahelmey's statement in the Sabah Legislative Assembly last week that approximately 1,200 kilometres of old pipelines would be replaced in phases. Contractors have been appointed since last year to repair damaged pipes in critical areas including Sandakan, Keningau and Kota Kinabalu. The replacement works are being carried out alongside major water supply initiatives under the Fifth Rolling Plan of the 12th Malaysia Plan. These include 18 projects on the West Coast, 15 in the interior, 12 in Tawau, five in Sandakan and two in Kudat. In preparation for the 13th Malaysia Plan, the state is also conducting district-level water supply studies to support short-, medium- and long-term master plans. These will contribute to a broader state Water Grid strategy aimed at ensuring stable and sustainable access to treated water across Sabah. Additional proposals have been submitted to the federal Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation. They include resolving long-standing shortages in Tawau and Sandakan, reducing non-revenue water losses in Keningau and Beaufort, replacing ageing pipelines in urban and suburban areas, and constructing pre-sedimentation tanks at 22 treatment plants statewide. Three new rural water supply projects in Kinabatangan, Beluran and Pitas have also been approved under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry. Shahelmey acknowledged legal and regulatory hurdles, noting that under the Water Supply Enactment 2003 (Amendment 2022), the Water Department (JANS) is only authorised to supply treated water to registered consumers. However, JANS is open to supporting other agencies undertaking alternative supply solutions. Amarjit stressed that unless there is a comprehensive and timely overhaul of the entire pipeline infrastructure, Sabah's water delivery problems — both in urban centres and rural communities — will continue. 'You can't push more water through brittle, undersized and leaking pipes and expect consistent supply,' he said. In September 2023, Putrajaya approved a RM300 million soft loan to Sabah for short-term water crisis fixes. An additional RM6 million has been allocated to address water supply issues at Universiti Malaysia Sabah — RM3 million from the Prime Minister, RM2 million from the Higher Education Minister, and RM1 million recently announced by the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister. Between 2001 and 2014, the federal government spent RM11.115 billion on infrastructure in Sabah, including RM4 billion on water-related projects. Recently, former Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee proposed that the Sabah Water Department be dissolved and replaced with a professional statutory body to manage the state's water supply.
New Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Sabah to carve 23ha out of Serudong forest reserve to build CIQS complex, military post
KOTA KINABALU: A 23ha piece of land will be carved out of the Serudong Forest Reserve Class I to develop security facilities in Kalabakan, Tawau. This is possible with the passing of the Forests (Constitution of Forest Reserves and Amendment) Enactment 2025 at the Sabah Legislative Assembly. The Serudong Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security Complex will be built on 20ha of land and a military control post will be built on 3ha of land. A 20ha piece of forest land in Serudong, to be named Sungai Serudong (Extension) Forest Reserve Class I, will replace the portion used for development. Serudong is set to become a key transit point connecting Malaysia and Indonesia. Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Nizam Titingan tabled the bill. The amended enactment will also allow the carving of a portion of the Sungai Tiagau (Extension), Trus Madi, Sipitang, Umas-Umas and Bengkoka Peninsula forest reserves for village development. A 3ha piece of land from the Kudat Forest Reserve Class V will be excised as the area overlaps with the land titles for a silica plant project in Kudat. During the tabling, Nizam said the state government was gazetting several forest reserves and state land areas as protected areas. With the gazettement of protected areas under Section 5A of the Forest Enactment 1968, Totally Protected Areas (TPA) in Sabah will increase to about 2.227 million hectares, or about 30.06 per cent of Sabah's total land area. "Once this process is completed, it will fulfil the state government's target under the 2018 Sabah Forest Policy, which aims to gazette 30 per cent of the state's land as TPAs by 2025. "This achievement will enhance Sabah's reputation as a state with the largest protected area coverage in Malaysia."
The Star
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Sabah assembly passes sweeping state sales tax amendments
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Legislative Assembly has passed sweeping amendments to the State Sales Tax Enactment 1998 that strengthen collection and enforcement, among others. This came amid concerns by assemblymen over a clause to limit judicial review of its collection powers. State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the amendments were to remove any grey areas and put in place a proper tax collection system to benefit taxpayers and tighten any loopholes. Speaking at the winding up of the debates on the 37 amendments on Tuesday (July 8), Masidi said the state had sought the help of tax consultants from Kuala Lumpur as well as the advice of the Sabah Attorney General in drafting the amendments. During the debates, nominated assemblyman Datuk Yong Teck Lee (GRS) raised a concern that the amendment to restrict judicial review powers could be unconstitutional. Yong was questioning part of the amendment that read 'in any proceedings under this section, the court shall not entertain any plea that the amount of State sales tax, penalty and surcharge sought to be recovered is excessive, incorrectly assessed, under appeal or incorrectly increased under sections 14, 14A, paragraph 18(a) or 18(b)." 'To me, this law is standing on shaky ground. 'Even if we pass it today, it's shaky. Why? Last week, the Federal Court struck down a part of the Peaceful Assembly Act because it was unconstitutional. 'I do not believe that our state assembly can limit judicial review,' Yong said. In response, Masidi gave an assurance that the power of the court – and in this context, judicial review – will always be there and cannot be precluded by any law. 'In this amendment, we have an appeal tribunal if someone is not satisfied. This amendment has become more transparent. 'If (anyone is) unhappy, they can go to the tribunal court,' he added. State Opposition leader Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Senallang) asked if this would further burden the people, as some of the amendments could add costs that trickle down to end consumers. He also asked that the state pursue the matter of getting 40% of federal tax revenue under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) returned to Sabah instead of implementing stringent state taxes. Datuk Jannie Lasimbang (PH-Kapayan) said many of the amended clauses, including the one concerning judicial review, needed clarification. Jamil Hamzah (Warisan-Bugaya) was concerned about possible overlapping and multi-layered taxes, while Datuk Darell Leiking (Warisan-Moyog) wanted to know if these amendments would result in taxpayers and consumers paying more for products and services, as well as taxes. Masidi stressed that these 37 amendments were drafted thoroughly to ensure better management and collection of taxes. It is meant to increase tax revenue collection and ensure that all processes are conducted with transparency, accountability and strictness, he added. It also ensures that taxpayers' rights are heard and protected, he added.
New Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Sabah taking action to address 1,200km of ageing pipes
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has identified 1,200km of ageing asbestos cement pipes. Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya said these pipes need to be replaced to address persistent leakage, but the replacement work could not be carried out all at once. "The Sabah Water Department has plans to replace the ageing pipes, including replacing and upgrading transmission pipes in Sandakan, Keningau and Kota Kinabalu. "Replacing all of them at once will incur very high costs. Therefore, the replacement will be done in phases," Shahelmey said in response to a supplementary question by Datuk Annuar Ayub (GRS-Liawan) during the question and answer session at the Sabah Legislative Assembly today. Annuar had asked whether the state government planned to replace ageing pipes that frequently burst, especially in areas affected by recurring water supply disruptions due to leaks. Shahelmey, who is Sabah public works minister, said the Sabah Water Department began appointing contractors last year to repair leaking and damaged pipes throughout Sabah. "This is part of our effort to repair and replace damaged and leaking old pipes in several areas of Sabah." Earlier, in response to Annuar's main question on water supply issues, Sabah Deputy Public Works Minister Datuk Limus Jury said his ministry, through the Sabah Water Department, was committed to planning and developing a sustainable water supply system for the state. "We will ensure safe, high-quality and continuous water delivery to all users in Sabah. "The Sabah Water Department is also committed to improving service delivery by providing efficient, professional and customer-oriented services to ensure user satisfaction." Under Rolling Plan 5 of the 12th Malaysia Plan, with funds from the Federal Soft Loan Programme, the Sabah Water Department will implement 18 projects in the west coast, 15 in the interior, 12 in Tawau, five in Sandakan and two in Kudat. For the 13th Malaysia Plan, the ministry will review proposals to appoint consultants to carry out feasibility studies and develop district-wide master plans across Sabah.
The Star
07-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Sabah approves nearly RM1.2bil in additional allocation to address water and road issues
KOTA KINABALU: A whopping RM1,186,923,403 in additional allocation has been approved by the Sabah Legislative Assembly, with the bulk of the funds to be channelled towards addressing long-standing issues related to water supply and road infrastructure. Tabling the 2025 Supplementary Supply Bill, Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the additional funding was essential to ensure the smooth operation of the government's administration through to the end of the year. The approved amount will support 53 expenditure heads, spanning key sectors including infrastructure, welfare, education and public services. Masidi said a significant portion, RM523.5mil, has been earmarked specifically for tackling water and road problems that continue to plague various districts across Sabah. These, he stressed, were issues repeatedly raised by the public and often politicised. He explained that the RM1.19bil would be used across six core categories, including RM600mil for contributions to statutory funds, RM204mil for administrative expenses, RM195mil for operational costs, RM84milfor domestic grants, RM54.4mil for investments and RM50.7mil for special provisions. Of the statutory contributions, RM250mil is to be added to the State Development Fund to reduce the development account deficit, while RM150mil is to be added to the Road and Bridge Maintenance Trust Fund for urgent maintenance work statewide. Another RM200mil has been allocated under the State Government Special Trust Fund, supporting community-focused initiatives such as the People's Touch Programme (Syukur) and student assistance schemes like Budi, Sentosa, Subfly and Sukses. He added that these funds would also support water and utility projects. Masidi also highlighted the RM185.5mil allocated under General Treasury Services, which included RM54.4mil for equity investments, RM89.1mil for infrastructure upgrades such as water treatment plant improvements and pipe installations and RM30mil in domestic grants to Kota Kinabalu City Hall for marine waste clean-up and NGO support. Additional provisions were also made for various ministries, including RM147.6mil for the Public Works Ministry, RM94.4mil for the Chief Minister's Department and RM55.7mil for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry. The state's Community Development and People's Wellbeing Ministry was allocated RM16.2mil, including RM4.5mil for the provision of 100 haemodialysis machines and RM11.1mil for disaster relief, assistance to vulnerable groups, and special needs children's programmes. Masidi stressed that every ringgit spent must bring real returns, whether through job creation, infrastructure improvements or better public services. 'This is the people's money. It must be used wisely and bring meaningful impact to their lives,' he said. While the bulk of the debate centred on the RM1.19bil operational provision, the State Assembly also approved an additional RM416.5mil under the 2025 Development Estimates. This separate allocation will finance 83 development projects across ten ministries, bringing the total supplementary budget to RM1.6bil. The development funds include RM254.9mil for the Public Works Ministry, RM82.5mil for rural development programmes, and RM38.5mil for special projects under the Chief Minister's Department. Masidi also reiterated the government's commitment to addressing infrastructure gaps and uplifting the people's quality of life, especially in rural and underserved areas. 'Our focus remains on delivering real solutions to the rakyat's most pressing needs such as clean water, reliable roads, education, and access to basic services,' he said.
