SANDAKAN: Sabah’s future relies on electing leaders who serve the public and collaborate with Putrajaya, rather than those who exploit the state for personal benefit, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Pakatan Harapan chairman warned that he would not tolerate federal officials attempting to take advantage of Sabah’s natural wealth, stressing that anyone caught doing so would be removed.
“If I find any federal minister coming here to take timber or to take projects, they are out. I come here to serve, not to make myself rich,” he said during the Keadilan with the People programme (Program Rapat Umum dan Himpunan Keadilan) held at Yu Yuan Secondary School hall on Friday night (Sept 26).
Anwar said his administration’s priority was to deliver development fairly and transparently, and stressed that federal leaders must not treat Sabah as a place to seek personal gain through contracts or concessions.
He added that honest leadership must be matched by a clean procurement system, vowing to stop the “runding-runding” (negotiations) approach used in the past and insisting that all projects must now go through open tender.
“In the past, they used runding-runding (negotiations), flood mitigation projects worth billions were allocated this way. Now, they can’t. I hold the finance portfolio, projects must go through a tender. If you win the tender, you get it. If not, you keep quiet.
The Prime Minister said projects such as the Pan Borneo Highway were delayed in the past due to disputes over contracts and competing interests.
He said such practices would no longer be tolerated under the current administration, and that development must be guided by accountability and merit.
Anwar also took aim at leaders who portray themselves as champions of Sabah during election season but have questionable records when it comes to governance and resource management.
“During election season, everyone wants to be the hero of Sabah. But how many timber concessions have they taken? How many projects have they taken away? If you want to be a hero, serve the people and don’t steal from them,” he said.
He stressed that integrity in leadership is not just a political slogan but a moral duty, adding that while he could forgive many personal attacks, he could not forgive the theft of public funds.
“I was arrested, stripped, beaten, put in prison and released, that’s all fine. I can forgive that. But one thing I cannot forgive is when you steal hundreds of millions or billions of ringgit. That’s not my money, that’s the people’s money. I want to take it back and give it back to the people,” he said.
Anwar urged Sabahans to play their part by choosing leaders who are honest, capable and willing to collaborate with Putrajaya, instead of those who fuel division or prioritise personal gain over public service.
“The leaders we choose must be clean, must not steal, must be able to do their work properly and must work with the federal government for the people,” he said.
Strong cooperation between the state and federal governments, he added, is crucial to accelerate infrastructure development, education, flood mitigation and airport upgrades, all areas that require joint decision-making and coordinated resources.
“The federal government must work together with the state government. That is why we need parties that are prepared to cooperate with the federal side,” he said.
Anwar reminded voters that land matters are decided by the state, while taxation, education and healthcare fall under federal authority, making cooperation between both levels of government essential.
