By Olivia Miwil - October 21, 2020 @ 10:09am
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will be able to resolve recurring flood problems should the federal government return its revenue rights, said its Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
He said though the state has the power to do many things, major developments still depended on funding from the federal government.
"If the federal government gives us our financial rights, our revenue rights, maybe we would have enough funds to resolve some of these (flood) problems.
"For example, to return 40 per cent of Sabah's net revenue to the state, collect five per cent sales tax on petroleum products in Sabah, and perhaps even give us their share of five per cent cash payment which they had been receiving under the Petroleum Development Act 1974.
"The extra money would add to our capacity to deal with this (flood). Otherwise, we will forever be asking for money to resolve our problems," he said in a statement.
Yesterday, Jeffrey, who is also the state Agriculture and Fisheries minister, visited some of the places in Tenghilan affected by floods following a heavy downpour on Monday.
He was briefed on site by Department of Drainage and Irrigation director Jeffrey Ng.
It was the second time the Tenghilan town was flooded this month and a comprehensive plan worth RM3 billion is already in place to alleviate the problem.
"We need to do this comprehensively, not bits and pieces because if you do so, you will be overlooking the problem rather than confronting it," he said.
"The villagers were really affected by this.
"They lost their businesses; some of their electrical appliances were also damaged."
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