Mutual respect and developing Sabah are utmost priorities, says CM

By Olivia Miwil - November 22, 2018 @ 8:23pm

“It is important not to have extremism and racism. Be it any religion, each has the right to practice his own religion,” Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said. NSTP/ Edmund Samunting.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah government is taking the stance that mutual respect and developing the state are the utmost priorities, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.

“It is quite clear for me. In al-Quran, it mentions ‘my religion is my religion, your religion is your religion’. We respect each other.

“It is important not to have extremism and racism. Be it any religion, each has the right to practice his own religion,” he said, adding that the state government has also been assisting all religions and places of worship in Sabah.

He was responding to recent proposal for the Federal government to ratify International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

Mohd Shafie was speaking to reporters after an annual luncheon of Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI) Sabah here.

He said strong collaborations with MICCI was crucial in helping the state government to generate income through locally funded sectors such as property development, agriculture and tourism that would provide job opportunity.

Earlier during luncheon, MCCI Sabah chairman Datuk Wong Khen Thau had requested that Sabah government administers the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) instead of it being managed by the federal government.

However, Mohd Shafie said the state government would spearhead the discussion. However, there were diplomatic relationship issues with other countries that had to be handled by the federal government.

He said it was more important to look into how to reap benefits from the BIMP-EAGA initiatives.

Besides BIMP-EAGA, MCCI has also made several requests which include to have more skills training facilities for human capital, update state strata laws, improving basic infrastructure to reduce cost of doing business, set up micro credit facilities, resettle all water villages, to have Philippines Consulate, and to seek the return of Labuan island to Sabah, among others.