KOTA KINABALU: Sabah risks falling behind if rhetorical politics continues to dominate the stage for another decade, warned Papar Member of Parliament Datuk Armizan Ali.
He said that people are now mature enough to prioritise results over mere rhetoric.
Armizan made these remarks in response to the tagline "Selamatkan Sabah, Sejahterakan Rakyat" used by Parti Warisan during its annual general meeting at Hakka Hall.
"It is rhetoric, but they have the right to come up with a theme and agenda.
"However, people are becoming more mature and are looking at results rather than rhetoric," he said during a press conference at the Sabah Street Fashion Show at the Sabah International Convention Centre.
The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) politician, who also serves as the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) Minister, added that GRS played a crucial role in preventing Sabah from receiving lower special grants.
He said that, in a letter dated October 2019, the then Warisan-led Sabah government agreed to a special grant of RM53 million for the state.
"When GRS took over the government, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor immediately wrote a letter to cancel the agreement, seeking more special grants.
"Sabah received RM125 million in 2022, and it has increased to RM300 million this year. The practical question is, which government saved Sabah? I asked the (Warisan Kota Belud) Member of Parliament on what basis they agreed to the RM53 million, whether it was based on 40 per cent net revenue derived from Sabah, but to date, she has yet to answer."
Armizan also noted that GRS initiated the construction of 20 units of SMJ housing in every constituency, part of the government's effort to enhance the well-being of the people.