Kota Kinabalu: The 2026 Sabah Budget risks undermining the State’s future by failing to meaningfully invest in youth development despite repeated political rhetoric portraying young people as the backbone of the State, said the Warisan Assemblyman for Segama.
Debating the Budget, Muhammad Abdul Karim said nearly 40pc of Sabah’s population comprised youths, yet only a small fraction of the allocation for youth-related ministries was channelled directly into human capital development.
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“If the Government truly believes that youths are Sabah’s greatest asset, then that belief must be reflected in numbers — not slogans,” he said.
He noted that while RM98.06 million has been allocated to the Ministry of Youth Development, Sports Advancement and Creative Economy, only about RM16.75 million, roughly 17pc, is directed towards youth human capital development.
“This gap between rhetoric and financial commitment shows that youths are still not being treated as a serious priority in budget planning,” he said.
Muhammad said youths were actively courted during election campaigns but sidelined when it came to budget formulation, describing the situation as a betrayal of young voters’ trust.
“Youth votes are chased, their energy is celebrated during campaigns, but once the ballots are counted, they are pushed aside,” he said.
He questioned how the Government expected young Sabahans to feel valued when unemployment remained high, training opportunities were limited, skills mismatched market needs and the cost of living continued to rise for both urban and rural youths.
Muhammad welcomed the RM20 million allocation for athlete talent identification and preparation for Sukma Selangor 2026, but cautioned that training alone was insufficient without safe and well-maintained facilities.
“Many sports facilities at the district level are in poor condition and do not meet safety standards. Athletes cannot be developed in unsafe environments,” he said.
He added that the RM25 million allocation for maintaining sports infrastructure statewide was inadequate given Sabah’s size and the number of facilities requiring urgent repairs, and called for higher and more targeted allocations.
Muhammad also urged a review of sports association grants, noting that the RM5.05 million allocated to 54 associations — averaging about RM93,000 per association annually — is insufficient amid rising costs.
“Many associations survive not because of government support, but because they struggle on their own, seek sponsors or even use personal funds,” he said.
He further criticised the lack of specific provisions for rural youths, pointing out that the majority of Sabah’s youth population lived outside urban centres such as Segama, Tongod, Pitas and Kinabatangan.
“Rural youths cannot continue to rely on urban-centric programmes. They need targeted approaches that reflect local realities,” he said.
Muhammad also raised persistent basic issues in Segama, including unstable electricity supply, weak internet connectivity, prolonged water disruptions, damaged roads, inadequate youth facilities and unsafe bridges.
“These may seem like basic issues, but this is the daily reality faced by the people of Segama. True development is not numbers on paper, but solutions that are felt on the ground,” he said.
