KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor (pic) wants the peace and harmony enjoyed by the people in Sabah to continue and be protected.
The Chief Minister said the state government will also play its part in the effort by ensuring that everyone, regardless of race and religion, will be able to celebrate their respective festivals.
“The celebration of festivals such as Chinese New Year, Christmas and Hari Raya Aidilfitri should be used as a platform to strengthen relations and unity.
"Equitable development for all citizens will continue to be practised including the provision of allocations to vernacular schools and missionaries as well as non-Muslim religious bodies in this state.
"In that sense, we have allocated a total of RM54.05mil for that purpose in this year's state budget.
“This amount was an increase of RM7.05mil compared with the previous year,” Hajiji said in conjunction with the 2023 Chinese New Year event at Port View Palace Tanjung Lipat Hall here on Monday (Jan 23).
Sabah Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin and his wife Toh Puan Norlidah RM Jasni were the guests of honour.
The event was jointly organised by the Sabah government and the Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS).
Hajiji also said he was happy to see that the ceremony was not only attended by the Chinese community but also by people of various races and religions.
"The state government will continue to ensure that the development agenda and progress of the people will be given continuous focus this year and the following years.
"The state government is also determined to focus on economic recovery to bring prosperity to Sabah and its people," he said.
He added that the state government had done its best last year and was on the right track towards realising the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development plan.
"The state government earned revenue of RM6.6bil, proof that this is our best performance since independence,” Hajiji said.
"We will continue this momentum.
“I want the people of this state, including the Chinese community, to continue with us on this journey and on behalf of the state government, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you for your continued support over the years,” he added.
Earlier, the Chief Minister also attended the Chinese New Year open house organised by Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Frankie Poon, who is also Tanjong Papat assemblyman, in the east coast Sandakan district.
In his speech, Hajiji said much can be achieved if the leaders and people remained united and continued to celebrate successes such as good state revenue and increased foreign investments.
Thanking the Chinese community for their continued support, Hajiji praised their ingenuity, determination and resilience in business that contributed to the state's economic recovery.
"This is the time for us to move the development agenda together and share aspirations through mutual trust and respect," he said.
