The Malaysian Insight

YAYASAN Sabah Group subsidiary Benta Wawasan Sdn Bhd will be tasked with building five palm oil refineries, said Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal.

He said the construction of the plants, to cost RM5 million each, will start soon.

“We have given approval for Benta Wawasan to build the five plants, and we have identified Tawau, Keningau, Lahad Datu and Sandakan as the locations.

“The plants will ensure jobs for residents in these districts,” he said at the Parti Warisan Sabah delegates’ conference in Penampang today.

Oil palm is Sabah’s main agricultural crop, with more one million hectares of plantations in the state, almost all in the east coast. Benta Wawasan alone planted 21,295.5ha of oil palm as of 2017.

Shafie, who was recently on a five-day visit to China, added that Sabah will soon have its first tyre factory, and talks on the matter with a Chinese company are ongoing.

He reiterated that RM4 billion is incoming from China to build a glass factory, which will not only provide jobs to Sabahans, but also business opportunities and liquidity for the state.

He said he is looking forward to having utility firm Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) returned to the state.

There are already plans on improving power generation and distribution, and reducing costs, he said.

“One of the things that the state government is looking at is Tenom Dam and the yet-to-be-finalised Papar Dam. We will use SESB as the prime mover to realise these hydroelectric dams.”

On activists’ opposition to the dams, Shafie spoke of being invited to stay near Sarawak’s Bakun Dam in 1995, in his capacity as an MP.

“At first, there were so many demonstrations everywhere, in Sarawak, in Parliament, even at the United Nations.

“But look at Sarawak now. They are also asking if Sabah is interested in buying supply from them. They are already selling to Kalimantan in Indonesia, and Brunei.

“All it takes is one bold decision to be able to reap the benefits, like the Bakun Dam story.”

He pointed out that Sabah is saving RM500,000 a day after scrapping outsourcing contracts in the state Water Department, saying the department will soon be able to end the state’s supply woes. – May 5, 2019.