Sabah is capable of growing fast — Dr Mahathir

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has the capability for rapid development having gone through much progress over the years, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday.

He said he was impressed with Sabah’s landscape after arriving in the state capital on Sunday for the Malaysia Day celebration here on Sunday night and believed the state had strong potentials to be a developed state.

“I have not been to Sabah for a long, long time … the town is now quite clean.”

“What I think should be done (to develop Sabah further) is to identify assets of Sabah, which can be exploited. You have land, mountain, seas, beaches and low temperatures, which may be good for vegetable-growing,” he told reporters after having breakfast with Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and Federal and state cabinet ministers here.

Dr Mahathir also expressed concern for the high cost of living that the people in Sabah had to bear due to corruption in the previous administration, but did not deny that there were also other factors contributing to the high costs such as the implementation of the Cabotage policy

He also suggested Sabah could establish an automotive industry where car makers could
assemble their products in the state.

“Industries can come here because in the future, Sabah is going to be a petrochemical producer as deep-water production will begin any time soon,” he said. – Bernama