SEMPORNA (Feb 8): Sabah Cabinet ministers and elected representatives found to be involved in corruption and irregularities will be dropped and will not be nominated to contest the next general election, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said today.

He said the priority of the state government was taking care of the people.

“Let no minister, elected representative or government officer be involved in corruption. We have to change our style of administration (from the previous administration),” he said when addressing a Chinese New Year celebration with the Chinese community here.

Mohd Shafie also said that the new government was implementing many good programmes, but it would take some time for the results to show and the people had to be patient.

“I know the people are waiting. We (the Parti Warisan Sabah government with the cooperation of the Pakatan Harapan) have only administered Sabah for about eight months. Even people who have got married will not have produced a child yet,” he said.

Mohd Shafie told reporters later that the state government was stepping up cooperation and participation with Petronas to enable the state benefit from the downstream oil and gas industrialisation.

“I will have discussions with Petronas. We have many upstream oil and gas industries, but we (the state government) are incapable of involving ourselves in those ventures.

“However, I believe we can participate in the downstream industries because we have the infrastructure, for example, the Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park (SOGIT) and the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC),” he said.

Mohd Shafie also said that the transformation of the state government governance has begun to show its effectiveness and cited the example of the Sabah Water Department which he said had accumulated revenue of up to RM260 million.

“Previously (under the Barisan Nasional administration), the Water Department had no money. It was found in car bonnets and offices. Now (under the new government), the revenue of the Water Department has risen.

The Chief Minister said the revenue of the Water Department would be returned to the people by way of solving the water supply problems they faced.

"We will solve the water supply problems in Bugaya, Kuala Penyu, Tuaran and many other places where there is inadequate water supply,” he said.

About 1,000 people attended the Chinese New Year celebration. Also present was Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Jaujan Sambakong. — Bernama