Masidi
KOTA KINABALU: Underperforming state government-linked companies (GLCs) will be axed, warned Local Government and Housing Minister cum Sabah Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun.
He said high-salaried employees in GLCs would also be subjected to pay cuts if they failed to perform.
Masidi said the State Government was in the process of improving the corporate governance of all GLCs in Sabah.
“The common issues with GLCs are their inability to do business or that the way they do business is more like a government department rather than a company,” he said.
He said the State Government was working on enhancing the corporate governance of GLCs by taking the standard of private sector as a benchmark.
Masidi said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor had tasked him with improving the performance of all GLCs.
To this end, he said a committee had been set up chaired by his permanent secretary, while its members comprised various government officers.
“As a start, we have appointed an audit firm to look into all GLCs.
“If there is any wrongdoing, we shall take action.
“It is high time we clean up the GLCs,” he said during a courtesy call by Sabah China Chamber of Commerce (SCCC) committee led by its president, Datuk Frankie Liew here, on Tuesday.
Masidi also warned that GLCs that underperformed or spent money without positive outcomes would be closed, whereas highly-paid individuals in GLCs would subject to pay cut should they failed to perform.
“We must act like the private sector.”
He said the move might invite anger from some quarters, but he was doing so for the future of Sabah.
“If they don’t like me, that is their problem, not my problem.
“I am not here to make you happy. I am here to do a job and do it well.
“My job is not to please anyone, but to solve problems.
“Good governance and good leadership is about having the courage to do what is unpopular.”
On a separate matter, Masidi gave his word that all development plans (DPs) for both residential and commercial projects would be approved within six months.
He said the delay in DP approvals, some lasted years, had increased the holding costs for developers, which was subsequently passed down to consumers.
He added that many parts of the applications could be done online as well.
Provided that the zoning is correct, Masidi said there would be no reason for developers not getting their DPs approved within six months.
Meanwhile, Liew proposed to the State Government to relax its policies on foreign investments, as well as provide more incentives to woo Chinese investors into Sabah, including being more lenient on the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme.
He said the State Government ought to offer incentives for investors to invest in the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) in Lahad Datu, Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP), agriculture, tourism and food processing sectors.
He also believed that Chinese tourists would return to Sabah after the Covid-19 pandemic subsided.
“When the tourists return, they will be attracted to invest in Sabah.
“Therefore, all sectors, including the State Government, must be well prepared for the challenges ahead.”
Liew further commended the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development plan launched by the State Government.
He also lauded Masidi in his efficacy in managing and containing the Covid-19 pandemic in Sabah.
“I believe the pandemic will be under control in Sabah soon, which then allows us to go full speed on reviving the economy in Sabah.”