Party president Shafie Apdal, launching the party’s election manifesto tonight, said the health ministry had been a feature of his 2018-2020 Warisan government, which had helped reduce dependence on the federal government at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He pledged that the revived ministry would oversee the construction of new hospitals and clinics as well as help churn out more specialists and nurses.
Shaife said the state government would also be able to pay the salaries of nurses and specialists with funds derived from the state’s coffers.
“We will be able to stem the brain drain. Restoring the health ministry is a proactive move to resolve related issues efficiently and speedily,” he said.
Shafie said the Malaysia Agreement 1963 provided autonomy for Sabah to manage its own education policies. A state education ministry should be restored as it would help the state government roll out a syllabus tailored to the needs of the people, he said.
“The Warisan government is the first and only Sabah government to establish such a ministry,” he said.
A state education ministry would enable Sabah to produce the talent needed for long-term growth. “We want to produce as many engineers as possible. We don’t just want to create job opportunities, we want to build Sabah’s human capital.”
Shafie also promised that Warisan would build hydro-electric dams in Kinabatangan and Lahad Datu to help resolve water shortages and the power outages that occur in the east and west coast.
However, the sites of the planned dams must be chosen carefully to avoid harming wildlife and the surrounding environment.
“These projects will not only meet current needs, but also guarantee sufficient water and electricity to support Sabah’s industrial development over the next 10 years. They will also create thousands of local jobs and stimulate economic growth,” he said.
Papar as university hub
The manifesto also sets out several other initiatives, including the revival of the Kudat port project from 2018, and improvements to Sabah’s railway.
The railway upgrades are intended to ease congestion, reduce road damage caused by heavy vehicles and support import and export activity, he said.
Shafie also said Warisan aims to turn Papar into a university hub by creating international-standard institutions to curb brain drain and spur economic opportunities for local communities.