Dr Roland Chia Ming Shen
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) Inanam Division Chief, Datuk Dr Roland Chia Ming Shen has hit back at claims by Parti Warisan’s Sri Tanjong Assemblyman Justin Wong, accusing Warisan of leaving behind a “black record” of economic mismanagement during its short rule.
Dr Chia said Wong’s criticism of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) was based on “half-truths and selective figures” meant to deceive the public.
“Justin Wong needs to learn economics. His statement is nothing more than a desperate attempt to twist numbers. The truth is clear: Warisan failed Sabah and left the economy in ruins,” he said in a statement today.
He pointed out that under Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal’s Warisan government, Sabah’s economy suffered its worst collapse in modern history.
“In 2019, the economy stood at RM85.6 billion. Just a year later, it nosedived to RM77.8 billion, a loss of nearly RM8 billion. That’s a contraction of -9.1%, the steepest in decades. This is Warisan’s legacy: economic disaster and hardship for Sabahans,” he said.
Dr Chia said GRS, by contrast, had revived Sabah’s economic momentum despite global headwinds.
“From -9.1% in 2020, growth rebounded to +1.5% in 2021, +3.9% in 2022, +1.3% in 2023 and +1.1% in 2024. Today, Sabah’s economy has climbed back to RM84.3 billion. This is not decline, as Justin falsely claimed, but steady recovery and resilience under GRS,” he said.
He also dismissed Wong’s allegation that Sabah’s exclusion from the nation’s “Top Six” economies reflected failure.
“The gap with Perak is only around 0.1–0.2%. Perak’s growth was boosted by Klang Valley spillovers. More importantly, Sabah is pursuing long-term reforms under the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Development Plan. Temporary slowdown is normal when you’re fixing a broken system…unlike Warisan, which left Sabah vulnerable and stagnant,” said Dr Chia.
He stressed that Sabah’s decline had already started under Warisan even before the Covid-19 pandemic, citing official Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) data.
“In 2017, Sabah grew 8.1%. Under Warisan, it crashed to 1.5% in 2018 and sank further to 0.7% in 2019. That is proof of weak leadership and poor management. Covid-19 only exposed what was already collapsing,” he said.
Dr Chia said the opposition was “playing a numbers game” to mask its failures.
“Between 2021 and 2024, Sabah posted positive growth every year. State revenue reached historic highs. Reserves grew to levels never seen before. This is the opposite of Warisan’s fragile and reckless model,” he said.
He reminded the public that in 2019 under Warisan, state revenue was only RM4.2 billion. Under GRS, revenue shot up to nearly RM7 billion in 2022 and 2023, the highest in state history.
“Financial reserves rose from RM3.2 billion in 2019 to RM8.6 billion in 2024, more than two-and-a-half times higher. This is hard evidence of prudent management. Warisan can’t run away from its black record. If this isn’t success under GRS, what is?” Dr Chia said.
He added that Warisan’s endless negativity was a sign of desperation.
“Warisan failed when it was in power, and now it is trying to mislead the people with twisted numbers. The public should not be fooled again. Under Hajiji, GRS has rebuilt Sabah’s economic foundation and safeguarded its future,” he said
