“Sabah (and Sarawak) face a lot of administrative issues.

“We find too many people from the administration are greedy … want to make quick money,” he said at a forum here on economic challenges faced by youths in the country.

For instance, Mahathir said those involved with timber want to make a fast buck by selling the logs overseas.

“But the state government should instead try to add value by creating something out of the timber instead of selling it overseas,” he said.

The former prime minister added he was confident that if the federal and the state governments were concerned about the state’s development, they would upgrade the infrastructure of both the states.

He explained that the present development was not adequate for the needs of the people.

“We want a government from PH that represents the people … a representative that is not selfish and will overcome the present problems.”

He further said the people in Sabah and Sarawak need to work harder to reduce the economic gap with the peninsula.

“I notice the mentality of Sabahans and Sarawakians is that they sometimes try to find the easy way out.”

He said both the states in Borneo have potential to develop but need the right leaders to help the state progress.