KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government will not hastily endorse projects or investments without proper checks, says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
The Chief Minister, who is presently in Dubai, said all major foreign and domestic investments must be fully vetted and once all criteria were met, only then an official announcement would be issued by the state government.
Referring to his recent meeting with a group of investors, Hajiji said no decision has been made over the projects they proposed.
He, however, did not specify who these investors were.
"All proposals have to be scrutinised and only then the state government will make the announcement," he said in a statement here on Thursday (March 16).
The statement was issued following news reports that an international industrial park and a new port in Kimanis, located in southwest Sabah, of which the investments were said to be of multi-billion ringgit in worth, were proposed to the state government.
Sabah Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun had earlier on Thursday said the state government would not indiscriminately jump into projects supposedly promising billions of ringgit in investments and returns for the state.
He also reminded groups interested in doing business in Sabah to be careful against making hasty announcements.
Of late, he said, without mentioning names, there had been groups announcing grand infrastructure or development projects worth multi-billion ringgit, and at the same time attempting to associate the initiatives with the state government.
"I think we need to be more careful because this will reflect on the state government’s wisdom, integrity and credibility.
"Yes, all are welcome but we need to be more mindful of the announcements people are making so that we are not to be seen as a state of ‘suckers’," Masidi said.
Meanwhile, Hajiji arrived in the United Arab Emirates to attend the Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference (GISEC) at the Dubai World Trade Centre on Thursday.
The three-day event starting from Tuesday (March 14) is the Arab world’s largest cybersecurity exhibition and conference offering a platform for leaders to stay ahead of potential threats, discover innovative strategies in order to remain secure from major disruptions.
Accompanying Hajiji were State Secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong, Sawit Kinabalu Group managing director Datuk Bacho Jansie and board members, among others.
This Saturday (March 18), the Chief Minister and his entourage would fly to Egypt to meet with Sabah students studying in various Middle East universities.
From Egypt, Hajiji accompanied by his wife Datin Seri Juliah Salag, will head to Mecca to perform the umrah.
