KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will be receiving increased special grants from the Federal Government from this year as a result of its leaders' continued pursuit of rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), the state assembly was told.

       Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin said this would help improve the quality of life and economic development of Sabahans.

       “The state government will continue to claim revenue rights under MA63,” he told the assembly in his opening speech of the assembly's upcoming meeting on Wednesday (March 16), adding that Sabah also hit an all-time high of over RM5.4bil revenue collection last year.

       Juhar urged the people to stay united and continue their support of the state government in its efforts to revive and boost the economy following the Covid-19 pandemic.

       He said various initiatives to spur the economy such as forestry and timber development, encouraging small and medium enterprises, aquaculture and agricultural activities have been drawn up.

       Juhar added that some of these initiatives are already being implemented.

       Other areas of focus include the green economy, telecommunications, digitalisation, tourism, assistance for low-income groups and poverty eradication, food security and reducing financial leakages in government agencies and departments.

       On forestry programmes, Juhar said the state planned to set aside up to 400,000ha of forest by 2035 to generate timber-related revenue.

       “The government is confident that the timber industry will once again become our main source of income, with sustainable practices in place,” he added.

       He said the government would look at other measures such as ecosystem services, conservation grants and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD Plus) initiatives to generate revenue.

       Juhar said the government had also set up a Climate Change Action Council to oversee and improve management of environment-related issues and activities.

       In terms of tourism, he said the government and stakeholders were working towards diversifying tourism products and services while upgrading facilities for visitors.

       He said cultural and environmental activities such as shipwreck- and reef-diving as well as wild orchid and reef adoption programmes were among the efforts aimed at attracting more visitors to Sabah.

       The authorities were also actively conducting research to improve wildlife protection and conservation as well, he added.

       Juhar said land grant issues, improving efficiency of civil service delivery, empowerment of women, boosting home ownership, low-cost housing, efficient waste management, youth development and transportation infrastructure were other important matters being tackled by the administration.

       The state assembly will meet for four days from Monday (March 21).