Sabah’s deputy chief minister calls on state GLCs to increase revenues and pay higher dividends to fund poverty eradication and public welfare
KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ewon Benedick has urged government-linked companies under his ministry to generate higher revenues to pay larger dividends to the state government.
The Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Transport said GLCs like the Sabah Economic Development Corporation are crucial for developing entrepreneurship and investment.
“I appreciate all the efforts made so far,” he told reporters after visiting SEDCO House.
“However, I also hope that the agencies and subsidiaries under SEDCO can generate greater successes so that revenue, in the form of dividends, can be increased.”
He stated that dividends are vital for Sabah’s development, whether returned to his ministry or used for purposes like poverty eradication and education.
Ewon said cooperation between the state and federal governments should be optimised through existing coordination platforms.
He highlighted the Sabah Entrepreneurship Development Coordination Committee as key to ensuring state needs are considered in the federal budget.
His primary focus is ensuring more Sabahans have stable incomes through entrepreneurship and an active job market.
“My major priority in this ministry is to develop more Sabahans to have steady incomes,” he said.
“I don’t want Sabah to continue being associated with the poorest districts and Sabahans being classified as poor.”
Developing entrepreneurship is a way to ensure all Sabahans, including graduates, have job opportunities and incomes, he added.
Ewon said if plans are well executed, Sabah can increase people’s incomes within five years.
The state could then move beyond the stigma of being the poorest state, he noted.
He said the state budget, to be tabled on Dec 12, is expected to maintain the existing plan’s foundations.
The budget was prepared before the formation of the new state cabinet. – Bernama
