Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli (left) receiving a souvenir from Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Ir Shahelmey Yahya after the Thirteenth Malaysia Plan Engagement Session with the Sabah state government. – Bernama photo
KOTA KINABALU (Dec 19): The Federal and state governments are committed to ensuring that all developments planned and approved allocations will be implemented effectively and swiftly.
Most importantly, the outcomes and facilities must reach the people, said Economic Affairs Minister Rafizi Ramli.
“I took the opportunity earlier to thank the Sabah state government for working well with the Federal Government. When we focus on delivering results to close existing gaps. It shows the strength of this collaboration,” he said when met by reporters after an engagement session between the state government and Federal Ministry of Economy on the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) here today.
“If the spirit can be further strengthened between the Federal Government and Sabah, and among all agencies, we will be able to deliver much better in the future. This is what matters most to the people of Sabah,” he said.
On ensuring that issues from previous plans do not recur in the 13MP, some interventions need to happen at the Federal level, while others involve operational alignment that must be coordinated, he said.
“For example, the Ministry of Economy, which oversees project screenings and approvals, will introduce several new reforms under 13MP. From the planning and screening stages, processes will be improved to address issues that cause delays or ‘sick’ projects,” he said.
Rafizi disclosed that one common cause of “sick” projects is unresolved land issues.
He explained that when ministries, agencies or state governments apply for approval and allocation for a project, such as building a school, the land matters are often unsettled.
“For instance, they propose building a school but have not secured the land. The project gets approved, but later, when they search for land, it turns out to be unsuitable or unavailable, leading to years of delay. This results in the project being categorized as ‘sick’ when its progress significantly lags behind the schedule,” he said.
To address this, Rafizi said that two years ago, the government initiated pilot projects where specific funds were allocated for feasibility studies or preliminary work.
These preparations ensure that land issues are resolved, and all necessary checks are completed before seeking further approval to proceed with the project, he said and pointed out that this approach was not in place previously.
Before, agencies would apply for projects directly without such groundwork, leading to bottlenecks once approvals were granted, he said.
Another reform being introduced is the requirement for applicants to check land availability through the Federal Land Bank or relevant authorities, Rafizi said and pointed out that in some cases, suitable government land is already available under the Federal Land Commissioner or state government, but due to a lack of coordination, this land goes unused, while the project struggles to secure a location.
“These enhancements streamline planning processes. Improvements at the planning stage ensure that challenges leading to delays are addressed early. At the implementation level, further refinements will continue as effective coordination among federal and state agencies is crucial.
“Both governments agree that focused implementation is essential to ensure smooth and timely progress. When processes are improved and prioritized, the projects under 13MP should run more efficiently compared to past plans,” he said.
On the issue of eradicating hardcore poverty, Rafizi said that is already a current focus of the government.
However, the difference lies in the fact that the incidence of hardcore poverty in Sabah is significantly higher.
“Some successes achieved in other states involved direct interventions, adopting an integrated approach through various agencies. For instance, cash top-ups provided by zakat organizations, welfare departments, and others have helped lift people above the hardcore poverty line.
“I believe this process will continue, led by the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU), ensuring that every month and every year, more families are lifted out of hardcore poverty. However, for the 13MP, in addressing poverty, we want to ensure that sustainable income-generating economic activities are established in these areas. Otherwise, it becomes a chicken-and-egg situation.
“If we continuously state that we want to lift families out of hardcore poverty, but income opportunities are not available in those districts, it becomes ineffective. In the past, the approach was to focus on infrastructure projects, hoping they would generate economic activities that would benefit the local population.
“For 13MP, I believe we will focus specifically on the poorest districts. A new framework will be introduced, focusing on specific districts to generate income-generating activities,” he said, adding that previously, most government policies and approaches were macro in nature, without much distinction between the poorest districts and others.
Generally, the approach was to assess states as a whole, if a state had lower performance, the government would address it, but not in a targeted way, he said.
This older method, according to Rafizi, involved waiting for roads and infrastructure to be built.
Under 13MP, there will be specific strategies for direct intervention in the 10 poorest districts, eight of which are in Sabah.
This will ensure that efforts to lift families out of hardcore poverty are successful without relying entirely on monthly cash transfers from government agencies, he said and added that the aim is to achieve results through a more sustainable and targeted approach.
Rafizi also opined that the ministry needs to digitize as much as possible as for project applications. It is handled by the Development Budget Division, which consists of various sections and one section specifically handles all small project applications from across the country.
“There are about five people in that team. In the Ministry of Economy, aligning with government policy, we need to digitize as much as possible and automate as much as possible, and this process is underway.
Hopefully, with the cooperation of the requesting agencies, this will enable us to handle the volume of applications more efficiently, even with just five people on the team.
“At the very least, the system must be digital. Currently, applications are already submitted digitally through a portal and similar platforms. Previously, all applications were submitted via physical letters, which was exhausting to check one by one.
“This ongoing process of implementing digital systems will help us manage the high volume of applications effectively and efficiently,” he said.
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