KOTA KINABALU, Aug 12 — Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has reiterated that the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) supreme council has agreed to maintain its current formula of cooperation with Pakatan Harapan (PH) for the upcoming state election.
The GRS chairman said history has shown that a state government needs a strong relationship with the federal government to ensure stability and economic growth.
“We want strong ties with the federal government. We want stability, and we hope the people will understand that we are doing the best for them — to bring prosperity to them,” he said during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Paginatan New Township in Ranau.
Hajiji said the GRS–PH partnership has been delivering progress for Sabah, with some 94 per cent of more than 400 initiatives under the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya development plan already implemented.
“This is contrary to the Opposition’s claim, which is intended to pull the wool over the people’s eyes,” he said.
He added that the GRS–PH government had approved numerous assistance programmes for education development and public welfare — initiatives he said had never been undertaken by previous state administrations.
“This year alone, we are giving monthly assistance of RM300 to nearly 100,000 hardcore poor, and this initiative will continue if the people return the mandate to GRS–PH in the coming election,” he said.
Hajiji also pointed to the administration’s success in securing greater participation in the oil and gas sector through the historic signing of the Commercial Collaborative Agreement (CCA) with Petronas in 2021.
He said such initiatives are part of the government’s broader commitment to eradicating poverty in the state, including through the new township development programme.
The long-awaited Paginatan New Township project, he added, is expected to boost the local economy in line with the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development roadmap, which prioritises the well-being of the people and aims to improve their quality of life.
Covering 200 acres and located about 43km from Kota Kinabalu, the new township will be developed in five phases. It will include government offices, shops, low-cost housing, a multi-purpose hall, library, health centre, market, as well as police and fire stations.
Once completed, residents of Paginatan will no longer need to travel to Ranau or Telupid to access government services, he said.
