Hajiji posing with representatives from five villages who received Village Gazette Grant certificates during the Jelajah Rakyat and Jualan Rahmah MADANI Programme for the Kalabakan parliamentary constituency today.
KALABAKAN: The Sabah Government is expected to secure a 40 per cent stake in the Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) project in Sabah through an agreement with PETRONAS that is expected to be signed in the coming months.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Haji Hajiji Haji Noor shared the latest development, describing it as one of the state’s significant achievements resulting from the close cooperation between the State Government and the Federal Government.
He said the development was also the outcome of a cooperation agreement previously signed with PETRONAS, which enables the State Government to play an active role in Sabah’s oil and gas industry.
According to him, the State Government will also receive a 20 per cent stake in a PETRONAS project involving a newly discovered oil and gas field off Sandakan.
“We have successfully reached an agreement with PETRONAS and, in the next few months, we will sign another agreement under which Sabah will receive a 40 per cent stake in the floating gas project in Sabah.
“In Sandakan, PETRONAS has discovered an oil and gas field, and the State Government will receive a 20 per cent stake there,” he said when officiating the Jelajah Rakyat and Jualan Rahmah MADANI Programme for the Kalabakan parliamentary constituency at the Kalabakan District Office Open Hall, here, today.
Earlier, Hajiji received a briefing on Kalabakan’s development from Kalabakan District Officer Murad Abdul Rashid at the Kalabakan District Office Meeting Room.
Also present were Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali; State Youth Development, Sports Advancement and Creative Economy Minister Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan; State Secretary Datuk Zainudin Aman; Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Ceasar Mandela Malakun; Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Dr Andi Md Shamsureezal Mohd Sainal; Assistant Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport Minister Datuk Jonnybone J. Kurum; and Kalabakan Member of Parliament Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy.
Hajiji said the people and the State stand to benefit greatly from the strong relationship between the State and Federal Governments.
He said Sabah continues to attract increasing investor interest through his administration’s investor-friendly policies, a fact acknowledged by foreign diplomats who have visited the State to explore its investment potential.
“Nearly 40 foreign diplomats or high commissioners have met with me over the past five years. They are attracted by our investor-friendly policies. They said these policies will propel Sabah towards greater progress, and that is exactly what we are working to achieve,” he said.
He added that the existing industrial parks, particularly the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) and the Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park (SOGIP), are nearing full capacity due to growing investor confidence.
As a result, the State Government is expanding new industrial areas, including the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) on the east coast and industrial parks based on the blue economy.
On Kalabakan’s development, Hajiji said the State Government remains committed to transforming the district through balanced and rapid development in line with the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) roadmap, with economic growth and the well-being of the people continuing to be top priorities.
Among the key initiatives is the proposed development of the Kalabakan New Township, covering approximately 1,000 acres, which is expected to become the district’s new growth centre through various planned developments.
“Once implemented, it will become Kalabakan’s growth centre with various developments planned for the area,” he said.
Besides the new township, Hajiji said the Government is also working to improve infrastructure in Kalabakan, including road upgrades and the construction of a Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex, which will serve as Sabah’s entry point from North Kalimantan, Indonesia.
He said his visit to Kalabakan today was also aimed at personally assessing the district’s development to ensure its people are not left behind in benefiting from the Government’s development initiatives.
