GRS and Perikatan govts riding on our hard work, says Warisan of RM7b Lok Kawi Resort City project

KOTA KINABALU, March 22 — Warisan today took a swipe at the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) state government and Perikatan Nasional (PN) federal government for claiming credit for a mega project that was initiated by the Warisan government two years ago.

Warisan vice-president Datuk Junz Wong said that the RM7 billion Lok Kawi Resort City project launched by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today was first launched by Parti Warisan Sabah in July 2020.

“Did you know that two years ago, a similar RM7 billion investment initiative was brought in by Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal?” he said, adding that a similar groundbreaking ceremony and launch were held at the time too.

“This RM7 billion investment was then called KK Resort City. It was brought in by Shafie who was serving as the chief minister of Sabah then,” he said.

Wong, who is also Tanjung Aru state assemblyman, said that Shafie had convinced investors that Sabah was the right investment destination for the developers.

He said that the investors believed in Shafie’s leadership and vision, which included providing more job opportunities for Sabahans.

“But what did the Umno, PBS, STAR Opposition say back then?”

“They said it was impossible for investors to bring in such huge investments to Sabah, and even went as far as to accuse Shafie of selling Sabah to private developers,” he said.

The Lok Kawi Resort City Development project, just outside the state capital, is a joint venture between state-owned Yayasan Sabah and Tegas Bangsa Sdn Bhd, an affiliate of the Pavilion Group — to develop some 166.3 hectares in Lok Kawi, Putatan.

The project is expected to be completed in about 15 years and includes theme parks, resort hotels, shopping complexes, commercial and office blocks as well as residential units which are expected to raise the standard of living in the suburban Putatan area.