Sabah the summit of growth

YIELDING RESULTS: Musa has taken the state to greater heights, writes Joniston Bangkuai

WHEN Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman took over the state government in 2003, he introduced a development blueprint called halatuju to propel Sabah to greater  heights.

Musa's now in his record 10th year in office. Previously, the longest-serving chief minister had served only nine years.

His halatuju focuses on agriculture, manufacturing and tourism as catalysts for the state's economic development.

Known as a strong advocate of strict financial management, Musa, with support from his colleagues in the state Barisan Nasional government, has improved the state's finances significantly.

With its economy and revenue growing consistently over the last 10 years, the state government has produced a budget that has risen since 2003.

Its RM4.088 billion budget for this year is the largest in state history. The figure is nearly double the RM2.3 billion budget in 2008.

The people of Sabah have every reason to rejoice over the big budget as this means more development programmes.

The rising revenue and development budgets are the perfect riposte to critics, who describe Sabah as one of the poorest and least developed states in the country.

Despite uncertainties in the global economy and the fluctuating prices of oil, gas and commodities, such as palm oil and timber, Sabah's economic fundamentals have remained strong because of political stability, coupled with the state's administration and financial management.

Over the past 11 years, Sabah has been recognised as among the top states with sound financial management, which has earned it a clean-bill rating from the auditor-general.

The state received the highest rating of triple A (AAA) by RAM Rating Services for the last three years for its strong fiscal position.

It obtained the International Organisation for Standardisation certification from Moody International for efficiency and proper state budget management for three consecutive years.

The auditor-general's report for last year revealed the state's financial achievements.

For example, the state's reserves had exceeded RM3 billion, its revenue had surpassed RM4 billion, its actual surplus amounted to RM730 million, its development expenditure stood at RM1.17 billion and it had no outstanding arrears on federal loans.

The state has also reduced the number of poor by more than half last year compared with that in 2009.

Preliminary results of a nationwide survey by the Economic Planning Unit in the Prime Minister's Department showed the poverty rate in the state last year stood at 8.1 per cent compared with 19.7 per cent in 2009, the lowest in more than 20 years.

The survey showed that the state's monthly household income had increased by 29.4 per cent last year (RM4,013) from RM3,012 in 2009. The monthly household income in urban areas had increased by 22.7 per cent (RM3,803) in 2009 to RM4,668 last year, while in rural areas, it had risen by 33.8 per cent to RM2,913 from RM2,177.

In 2009, Sabah's poverty line stood at RM1,050, with the hardcore poor categorised as those earning less than RM520 a month.

Meanwhile, the government has set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants. It has also issued communal titles for landless locals.

The good ties between the state leadership and the federal government are key to the state's progress.

Parti Bersatu Sabah president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan has described Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak as a "brilliant doctor of politics" because of his ability "to diagnose and understand Sabah's ills and prescribe effective medicines as remedial measures".

The prompt and decisive response by Najib to the incursion by armed intruders into Lahad Datu and Semporna shows how much Najib cares for the people of Sabah.

A concerted effort is underway to put in place a comprehensive and integrated security system in the east coast of Sabah and other parts of the state under the Eastern Sabah Safety Zone and Eastern Sabah Security Command.

The state BN, which won 24 of 25 parliamentary seats and 59 of 60 state seats in the 2008 election, is expected to post a convincing victory in the next general election.

Now, however, BN holds 20 parliamentary seats after two members of parliament declared themselves as independents and two SAPP members pulled out of BN.

For the state seats, BN now holds 57 after SAPP's withdrawal.

Pakatan Rakyat's snub of local-based opposition parties, Sabah Progressive Party and State Reform Party, in the distribution of seats to ensure a straight fight with BN, could prove costly to the opposition's hope of taking away Sabah as BN's fixed deposit.