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Daily Express
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Express
120 students join football clinic led by Sabah legends
Published on: Wednesday, July 30, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jul 30, 2025 By: Clarence Dol Text Size: Former state players, organisers along with students who participated in the programme. RANAU: A total of 120 students from all over the district participated in a two-day Basic Football Clinic under former Sabah State Players held here recently. The programme led by legendary Sabah striker, Datuk James Wong also lined up players who were very popular in the 90s such as Yap Wai Loon, Harun Laban, Henry Anjun, Gerald Mojilu, and several other former state players. The programme held at SMK Lohan involved 40 female students and 80 male students from four schools, namely SMK Ranau, SMK Mat Salleh, SMK Lohan, and SMK Kundasang. The Chairman of the Ranau Clasico Team who is also the Ranau Zone Programme Coordinator, Romzie @ Likad Muhamad said the Basic Football Clinic was held to unearth talents to be promoted to higher levels. 'We are always trying to find talented young boys and girls from the age of 13-15 who are seen to have high interest and talent in this sport. 'We hope that through organising this kind of event, it will open up opportunities for anyone who has dreams of becoming a good football player to come forward and showcase themselves. 'This program will also continue to be held in the future with more participation from the target group and at the same time identify potential players in this district,' he said. As a future plan, Romzie said that talented players will be called to participate in training in Kota Kinabalu and will then be developed to a higher level. He expressed his well wishes and congratulations, especially to all the students who have attended the programme, which is rarely held here, and hoped that they gained valuable experience through the programme. He also thanked the Organising Committee, and especially to the former state players who have donated their time, energy and experience to make the program a success. * 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
Free Malaysia Today
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Sabah govt to let law take its course after 2 reps charged
Sabah chief minister Hajiji Noor said he would consider the two assemblymen's posts in the state government carefully 'after all relevant information and reports have been received'. PETALING JAYA : Sabah chief minister Hajiji Noor says his administration will let the law take its course after an assistant minister and a Gabungan Rakyat Sabah assemblyman were charged with corruption today. 'We respect the law, and we will let the legal process take its course. The GRS government will not interfere in any investigation or legal action against any of its government leaders,' he said in a statement. This morning, Sabah assistant industrial development and entrepreneurship minister Andi Suryady Bandy, and Sindumin assemblyman Dr Yusof Yacob were charged with receiving bribes related to mineral prospecting licence applications in the state. Yusof is also the chairman of Qhazanah Sabah Bhd, the state government's investment arm. Andi, the Tanjung Batu assemblyman from Umno, and Yusof, from Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, were charged with receiving RM200,000 and RM150,000 in bribes, respectively. Businessman Albert Tei was charged with bribing them. All three claimed trial. Following the court charges, Hajiji said he would consider Andi and Yusof's respective posts in the state government carefully 'after all relevant information and reports have been received'. The scandal surfaced last year following the leak of several videos purportedly showing discussions involving bribery and misconduct related to mineral exploration projects in Sabah.
Free Malaysia Today
05-06-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Phoong's aide dares Warisan rep to raise steel project delay in state assembly
Sabah industrial development minister Phoong Jin Zhe previously 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. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : An aide to Sabah industrial development minister Phoong Jin Zhe has challenged Elopura assemblyman Calvin Chong to raise his concerns on the delayed RM31 billion Esteel Enterprise steel project in the state assembly. Chan Loong Wei said the upcoming state assembly is the right platform for the Warisan rep to voice out any issues he has with the project as an elected representative. 'If he is genuinely curious or wishes to seek accountability, I challenge him to raise this matter in the upcoming state assembly sitting,' he said in a statement. Chan, who is Phoong's political secretary, said Esteel Enterprise is a company that is owned by a credible Singaporean businessman, who also owned a Top 100 Private Company in China in 2023. 'They (Esteel) have real credentials and real capital. In fact, their acquisition of Southern Steel Bhd in Penang in October 2024 was widely reported in Sin Chew Daily and other business media,' he added. He said that Phoong remains committed to driving inclusive economic growth, creating decent-paying jobs for Sabah youths and turning the state into a competitive, investor-friendly region. Earlier today, Chong slammed Phoong's explanation of the delays in the Esteel Enterprise steel project, calling it 'misleading and irresponsible'. He 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. Chong called for the state government to disclose all agreements and terms involving Esteel Enterprise, saying the public deserved full transparency on a project of such scale. 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. 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.
Free Malaysia Today
23-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Sabah's 20% oil royalty demand still relevant, says ex-CM
Former chief minister Salleh Said Keruak said Sabah's call for a 20% oil royalty from Petronas should not be buried by talks on the 40% revenue return from Putrajaya. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Sabah's long-standing demand for a 20% oil royalty from Petronas should not be sidelined by moves to involve the state in downstream oil and gas activities, says former chief minister Salleh Said Keruak. Welcoming efforts to involve Sabah in downstream sectors such as petrochemical processing and refining, Salleh said such moves were a step toward local empowerment but must not be seen as a replacement for direct revenue entitlements. 'Royalty refers to direct revenue from resource extraction – a matter of entitlement, not merely economic collaboration,' he said in a statement today. Sabah currently receives a 5% royalty from Petronas under a 1976 agreement, but the state has consistently argued this is insufficient, given its role as a major contributor to the country's oil and gas output. The call for a 20% royalty was a key campaign promise of Pakatan Harapan in 2018, but was not implemented during its time in federal power. The Usukan assemblyman also said that while discussions on the 40% revenue return from Putrajaya should continue, they must not overshadow the original and still relevant demand for the 20% royalty. Salleh said the push for higher oil royalties once united Sabahans in their demand for a fairer share of the state's natural wealth and remains a 'just and relevant' aspiration today. At the same time, he acknowledged the shift in focus to Sabah's constitutional right to receive 40% of net federal revenue collected from the state, as stipulated under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63). 'However, the reality is that its implementation remains unclear and is often debated from various legal and technical perspectives. 'In comparison, the oil royalty demand is more straightforward. It does not require complex interpretations – just mutual political will and understanding between the state and federal governments,' he said. Sabah politicians have repeatedly urged Putrajaya to honour the 40% revenue-sharing formula enshrined in the Federal Constitution. Use of the formula has been suspended since 1974, with the federal government paying increased special grants to Sabah and Sarawak. Meanwhile, the Sabah Law Society has been granted leave to pursue a judicial review of the state's 40% revenue entitlement. The case is scheduled to be heard on July 7.
