KOTA KINABALU: Sabah chief minister Hajiji Noor has warned district officers to pull up their socks and implement all state government programmes or projects as scheduled.
In a statement, he said he was saddened to receive reports about the slow progression of some development programmes and projects despite the allocations that had been channelled.
“Some were only 60% completed this year, which is the same as last year,” he said during a Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA) event here.
“The public expects us to implement the programmes and projects, but unfortunately they are not ready.
“I have received reports of district officers overstepping their boundaries. As the chief minister, I want to stress that I will be more firm with all district officers.
“Don’t be angry with me because my actions will be based on the reports that I have been receiving. If the reports are true, I will not hesitate to take action.”
Hajiji said he had also received information from the finance ministry that the implementation of projects this year has not been encouraging.
He said that the cooperation of mayors, district officers, municipal council presidents and senior government officials was needed to ensure that government programmes and projects were properly implemented.
Hajiji, who is also SEDIA chairman, told all government officers to speed up the process of approving local and foreign investment applications in line with the state government’s investor-friendly approach.
Noting the key role that investors play in creating job opportunities, he said delaying such applications would also hinder the government’s efforts to develop the state.
Source: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2022/12/22/hajiji-warns-district-officers-to-speed-up-projects/