KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government now has to pay hundreds of millions following poor decisions made by the previous state administrations, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said.

Hajiji said this in response to water supply and road conditions issues in the state frequently raised by the opposition elected representatives.

He, however, said such issues are not new but were inherited from the previous government's poor decisions.

"These include replacing the existing concession companies with their own appointed firms, forcing the government to pay hundreds of millions in compensation for the termination of the previous concession agreements.

"They were given the trust, but what did they do during the two and a half years in power, other than cutting contracts approved by the past administration?" Hajiji said while officiating the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) Sulaman Division at Dewan Seri Sulaman here.

He added that the water and road problems arose after the opposition took over the government and began cancelling contracts that already had agreements in place for managing water plants or rural roads.

Hajiji said he was confident that the opposition's desire to return to power in the next state election was a mere dream, believing that the people of Sabah would make an informed choice to support a government capable of advancing the state's development.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/09/1102888/hajiji-sabah-govt-paying-previous-administrations-poor-decisions