PENAMPANG: The 13 rural road projects in Sabah whose Letters of Acceptance (LOA) have been deferred must still be implemented, said Penampang member of parliament Datuk Ewon Benedick.
He said clarification was needed on the status of the projects, including whether they had been cancelled or postponed to the following year.
“As far as I am concerned, MPs and the people of Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia need further clarification.
“As the Penampang MP, I want an explanation on the status of the 13 projects whose LOA have been deferred. What is the current status of these roads?
“I have asked whether they have been cancelled or carried forward to the following year for implementation, but there has been no clarification so far,” he said after inspecting the Terian and Buayan road upgrade projects here.
On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also rural and regional development minister, told the Dewan Rakyat that projects in Sabah and Sarawak had been cancelled despite funds having been allocated for them.
Ewon, who is also Sabah Deputy Chief Minister III and Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport Minister, said the projects should not be sidelined as they had been planned and repeatedly proposed by various parties.
This includes proposal from the State Economic Planning Unit, Public Works Department and elected representatives.
“We cannot sideline the rights of people who have been waiting for rural road facilities.
“We want projects that have been agreed upon and approved to proceed.
“If they cannot be implemented this year due to allocation constraints, there should be room to give them priority for implementation next year.”