Unity, the Foundations of Stability-Musa

KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman has called on the people to not only strengthen their ties among Muslims, but with Malaysians from all walks of life through the practice of exchanging greetings at open houses.

Sabah has prospered along with the rest of Malaysia and achieved progress in many fields, leading to higher quality of life for its people, Musa said.

“Our determination to strive for excellence and a population made up of diverse backgrounds are some factors that have led to Malaysia’s growth.

“Through our combined knowledge and experience, we will achieve more in the future. We must strengthen unity, work with each another and respect one another even when differences in opinions emerge,” the Chief Minister said in his message in conjunction with this year’s Hari Raya celebration.

Musa, who is also Sabah Barisan Nasional chairman, lamented that some irresponsible quarters had set out to destroy what we have built, saying things that are hurtful to fellow Malaysians.

In expressing or discussing opinions, he advised the people to be mindful of the fact that they are living in a multi-racial country and that the harmony they have enjoyed for so long should never be compromised.

“Unity is one of the foundations of the stability we have today and I call on us all to always respect and support each other.

“We are indeed all Malaysians and I hope we will all continue to reflect on this and subscribe to 1Malaysia, the brainchild of our Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak, who sincerely wants to bring this country to greater heights,” he said.

According to Musa, both the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and Government Transformation Programme (GTP) have been showing results and together with the 10th Malaysia Plan, the government remains committed to reaching its projected goals within the respective time frames given for each initiative.

The Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) and the State Development Agenda, or Halatuju, are also on track to achieve their respective targets, he added.

In addition, Musa said the Federal Government has embarked on other initiatives under the 1Malaysia banner in order to address a range of issues from affordable housing to better healthcare and to address the prices of daily consumer items.

He pointed out that the Annual Salary Increment (KGT) had been carried out twice this year, with the most recent in July, by both the Federal and State governments.

“I am confident that the Federal Government will come up with more initiatives that will positively impact the people in the near future. The Barisan Nasional government is one that truly cares for the people,” Musa said.

With the general election fever now over, he said the time has come to move on and he called on all political parties to close ranks, work together and to cut down on politicking which wastes time and energy.

Musa also pointed out that Sabah has many positive traits that the people can leverage on.

“Our finances are well managed, our economy is growing and we also pay focus on environmental initiatives as we acknowledge that our biodiversity cannot and must not be taken for granted.

“For Sabah to keep progressing within a sustainably managed economy, we cannot be complacent. We must all join hands,” he said, adding that while rejoicing during this celebration, we must also remember the less fortunate.

Musa also thanked the Armed Forces, police and other security agencies for their services in safeguarding the State and reminded the people to put the unfortunate intrusion earlier this year in Lahad Datu behind them.

“I am confident that we will not see a repeat. Innocent lives were lost in the line of duty and we are forever indebted to those who were sacrificed during the incident,” he added.Borneo Post

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Major programmes of SDC during its second phase

The State Government has indeed, provided lots of opportunities for Sabahans to venture into businessa and at the same time, is hoping that more entrepreneurs will emerge in the future.

Well, I am deeply sure that most of us, are not well exposed with the local government agencies, which  have been helping lots of entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams. Here I am, to let you know what the Sabah Development Corridor or better known SDC has been given us and to Sabah, in particular.

By 2025, SDC initiatives aims to triple Sabah's GDP per capita and increase its GDP by four times through the implementation of the prioritized programme. In total, more than 900,000 jobs are expected to be generated during SDC implemented period.

Here are some of its major programmes and action plan during the second phase of SDC:-

1. Establish SEDIA One Stop Centre to fast track investment and business decisions.
2. Set up Investment Liaison Office/ Satellite Office in designated locations / clusters to provide business advisory services.
3. Customise Investment incentives and develop non fiscal packages to attract investment.
4. Develop R&D network, clearing house and database to exchange and share information and fast track access to expertise.
5. Provide support service for Public Private Partnership Programme

More to come in the next SDC's programmes. Stay tuned!

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Measures have boosted business confidence in Sabah, says Musa

Kota Kinabalu: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman on Thursday said the measures introduced by the Federal Government under the 2013 Budget would definitely help Sabah, especially in the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC), to attract investments and narrow the socio-economic gap between Sabah and the rest of the nation.

According to him, the total cumulative investment committed under the private sector-led SDC projects, as at Sept 30 since the launching of SDC in 2008, has reached RM114 billion.

"An amount of RM1.136 billion had also been disbursed out of the total RM1.39 billion under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) and Tenth Malaysia Plan (10MP) allocations which had been channelled to Sedia as of Sept 30," he said at Sedia's 11th Meeting at Wisma Sedia, here, Thursday.

He expressed belief that the measures introduced in aligning the SDC with the ETP, GTP and the 10MP coupled with the progress made in the implementation of SDC projects, especially SDC flagship projects such as the POICs in Sandakan and Lahad Datu, Sandakan Education Hub, Oil and Gas Clusters, Keningau Integrated Livestock Centre, Kinabalu Gold Coast Enclave, Sabah Agro-Industrial Precinct and Agropolitan Projects, have succeeded in boosting business confidence in Sabah.

"These developments have encouraged more private investors to consider participating in new investment projects, Entry Point Projects (EPPs) and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Sabah," he said.

Musa said he is happy that the expansion and development of new paddy granaries throughout the nation will include Kota Belud under the Federal 2013 Budget.

He was also pleased that Kota Kinabalu is included in the Federal Government plan to expand the Urban Transformation Centre, in stages.

"An efficient, high quality public transport system will also be introduced by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad in Kota Kinabalu," he said.

For investment in the refinery activities on petroleum products, he said, Investment Tax Allowance of 100 per cent for a period of 10 years will be provided to qualified companies.

In this regard, he said, various investment totalling US$20 billion in oil and gas projects have been implemented in 2012.

These projects include the oil and gas terminal in Sipitang, he said.

The Federal Government also has noted that generally, prices of essential goods in Sabah and Sarawak are higher compared with Peninsular Malaysia due to the high costs of delivery and distribution.

To reduce the costs and prices of goods, Musa said, the Government has introduced various initiatives, including the price uniformity programme, provision of transport subsidy as well as opening of Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M).

"For this, the Government will allocate RM386 million to ensure essential goods in Sabah and Sarawak as well as in Labuan are sold at lower prices through the opening of 57 KR1Ms and to bear the cost of delivering products from Peninsular Malaysia to Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan, including the interior areas," he said.

Musa, who is also Sedia Chairman, said Sedia has been taking aggressive measures to assist in addressing the human capital requirement of investors in SDC, one of the programmes introduced is National Talent Enhancement Programme (NTEP).

This programme, he said, which aims to provide job emplacement for degree and diploma holders in engineering has been well received. To date, there are already nine hosting companies participating in this programme, he said.

"I was also informed that Sedia is in the midst of negotiating with local and foreign institutions of higher learning to participate in human capital development programme in Sabah, especially in the Sandakan Education Hub and also Interior Education Hub," he said.

Sedia, he said, has taken the initiative to promote new sources of economic growth in Sabah such as engaging the BiotechCorp to attract investment into the biotech sector, which is a new source of growth in Sabah.

Sedia also, he said, has started to organise programmes, including training courses in agro-biotech industries for SMEs and Start-ups in the Sabah Agro-Industrial Precinct.

"I am pleased to note that these programmes have been well received.

This augurs well for the development of the agro-biotech industry in Sabah.

"In this regard, I also wish to highlight that Sedia is also supporting the development of the creative industry in Sabah," he said.

Source of info : Daily Express 

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