Sabah rural road projects must proceed, says Ewon

PENAMPANG: Penampang Member of Parliament Datuk Ewon Benedick insists the 13 rural road projects in Sabah, whose Letters of Acceptance have been deferred, must still proceed. He emphasized the need for clarification on the projects' status to determine if they have been cancelled or postponed to the next year. Ewon, also Sabah Deputy Chief Minister III and Minister for Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport, asserted that these projects should not be sidelined as they have been planned and proposed repeatedly by various groups, including the State Economic Planning Unit, Public Works Department, and elected representatives.

He stressed that the people of Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia need a clear explanation regarding the current status of these projects. After inspecting the Terian and Buayan road upgrades, Ewon questioned whether the projects had been cancelled or carried forward for future implementation, but received no clarification.

In a statement to the Dewan Rakyat, Deputy Prime Minister and Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi disclosed that projects in Sabah and Sarawak had been cancelled despite allocated funds. Ewon emphasized the importance of not sidelining the rights of people who have been awaiting these rural road facilities, and urged that agreed-upon and approved projects should proceed, with priority given to their implementation in the following year if necessary.