Putrajaya shifting towards accountability for Sabah, Sarawak development

Sabah and Sarawak affairs minister Mustapha Sakmud’s acknowledgement of persistent shortcomings in federally funded development projects in East Malaysia signals a positive shift towards greater accountability, political analysts say.

Universiti Malaya socio-political analyst Awang Azman Pawi said the federal minister’s remarks were significant because they reflected a willingness to publicly scrutinise Putrajaya’s effectiveness, rather than simply point to increased federal allocations as evidence of success.

“Politically, this reflects a shift from the politics of announcing allocations to one of delivering development outcomes,” he told FMT.

He said the acknowledgement could lay the groundwork for a more open culture of accountability, provided it is followed by concrete action.

On Thursday, Mustapha said the government could not be satisfied with merely announcing billions of ringgit in allocations if their benefits had yet to reach the people.

He acknowledged persistent problems with road infrastructure, water and electricity supply, as well as delays in major federal development projects, including the Pan Borneo Highway.

Mustapha said federal allocations for Sabah had increased from RM13 billion in 2022 to RM17.6 billion this year, while Sarawak’s rose from RM10.2 billion to RM15.1 billion over the same period.

Awang Azman said Mustapha’s approach suggested a shift in how Sabah leaders at the federal level could champion the state’s interests, moving beyond securing funding towards ensuring its effective implementation.

“Sabah leaders at the federal level are not only responsible for securing allocations. They must also be willing to press ministries and implementing agencies to ensure every ringgit delivers benefits to the people,” he said.

However, he cautioned that meaningful change would depend on whether such willingness translated into closer project monitoring, greater spending transparency and action to prevent or address implementation delays.

He said Mustapha’s approach could strengthen public confidence as it showed an understanding of the everyday problems faced by Sabahans and Sarawakians.

“Political trust is not built through acknowledgement alone, but through evidence that problems are being resolved,” he said.

Awang Azman called for clear performance indicators, regular public updates on project progress and greater accountability among implementing agencies.

Shared responsibility for development

Azmi Hassan described Mustapha’s remarks as a positive development, saying they also highlighted the need for Sabah and Sarawak leaders to examine their own role in addressing development shortcomings.

He said the tendency to place sole blame on the federal government for development problems in Sabah and Sarawak should be reconsidered, particularly when allocations had already been provided but projects failed to progress as expected.

“The strategy of blaming the federal government may have worked at one time, but not now,” he said.

Azmi argued that shortcomings in project management and implementation also warranted scrutiny.

He said it was particularly significant that the issue was raised by a federal minister from Borneo, describing the remarks as a wake-up call for leaders in Sabah and Sarawak to acknowledge both past and present shortcomings in development delivery.

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