Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Government has reaffirmed its commitment to inclusive development, with a focus on reducing poverty and narrowing the development gap between urban and rural areas.
To achieve this, Musa said basic infrastructure in rural areas will continue to be enhanced so as to improve living standards and create more local economic growth and opportunities.
Under the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) 2.0 framework, he said the Hardcore Poverty Eradication Programme will be strengthened through five key pillars — housing, education, employment, welfare, as well as entrepreneurship and training.
“The medium- and long-term interventions will be implemented in an integrated manner to ensure the income among hardcore poor household heads increases continuously and sustainably.
“To further boost rural economic activity, the State Government will develop four new townships in Penangah, Tongod; Melalap, Tenom; Ulu Dusun, Sandakan; and Beluran,” he said.
Musa said focus will be placed on physical planning and land use through the review of the Sabah State Structure Plan and District Plans to ensure balanced and well-coordinated development across the State.
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He also said the Sabah Government will continue rolling out assistance programmes across education, healthcare, housing and finance to improve the well-being of the people, particularly vulnerable groups so that they are not left behind in the development process.
He said efforts will also be stepped up to enhance welfare services and provide better facilities for children, the elderly and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
“The Sabah Autism Centre (PAUS) initiative will be expanded to Tawau, Sandakan, Kudat and Beaufort to provide early intervention services and support for children with autism and their parents.
“In addition, Day Care Centres under the Merpati initiative is also introduced to provide care, support and social activities for senior citizens,” he said.
On empowering women’s economic participation, especially among single mothers and those in the B40 group, Musa said it remains a key priority that will be carried out through existing programmes and new initiatives such as the Department of Women Affairs (JHEWA) BizBloom, aimed at helping women to generate own income, achieve greater financial independence and prosperous lives.
Musa said youth development will also be strengthened through several new initiatives such as Rakan Belia SMJ, alongside plans to establish a dedicated corporate body or financial institution to support young entrepreneurs.
“The State Government will also focus on developing the creative industry to nurture more youth entrepreneurs in the sector,” he said.
At the same time, he said sports development remains another focus area, with three main programmes set to be implemented — High Performance Athlete Development, Para Athlete and Deaf Sports Development and Mass Sports — to produce competitive athletes at both national and international levels.
Musa added the Government will also establish the Sabah Sports Welfare Fund to safeguard the welfare of the State’s sporting community.
