Sabahans have become desensitised to infrastructure delays after years of seeing numerous projects stalled or left incomplete, a Warisan MP said today.
Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Kota Belud) criticised contractors and lobbyists for contributing to the chronic delays, stating that many aggressively lobbied for projects they were not capable of executing.
“My message to the contractors and lobbyists is, if you want to submit tenders, be honest about your capacity.
“If you think you can’t handle the project, don’t lobby for it. Do not create more problems for others,” she said when debating the 2025 Auditor-General’s Report Series 2 in the Dewan Rakyat.
Last month, Sabah works minister Shahelmey Yahya said physical progress on Package 20 of the Pan Borneo Highway project in Sabah remained low at just 1.6% despite letters of acceptance having been issued eight months ago.
In a Bernama report, Shahelmy, who is also the state’s deputy chief minister III, attributed the delay to ongoing land and property assessment processes.
Isnaraissah also raised concerns over the multiple layers of subcontracting in federal infrastructure projects, saying the system left no actual “doers” on the ground in Sabah.
“The ones awarded the project hire subcontractors, who in turn hire other subcontractors. In the end, no one takes responsibility and the work doesn’t get done,” she said.
She questioned the works ministry’s decision to use the selected pre-qualified open tender procurement system for Phase 1B of the Pan Borneo Highway project, an issue which was also flagged in the Auditor-General’s Report Series 2.
The report, tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday, said open tenders were more suitable to ensure accountability and transparency in the procurement process.
In response, works minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said that the auditor-general found no non-compliance in the procurement process’s first stage, as the works ministry and Sabah works department followed finance ministry instructions.
He said 113 companies were shortlisted after passing the first stage of evaluation, based on criteria set out in the finance ministry’s directive.
“These 113 companies were then allowed to compete in the tender process for the 15 construction packages. That must be clearly understood,” he said in his winding-up speech.
Nanta added that the entire procurement process, from evaluation to the letter of acceptance, adhered to finance ministry-approved governance and procedures.
