Michael Lui
KOTA KINABALU: President of Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKCCCI) Datuk Michael Lui Yen Sang hailed the 2014 State Budget of RM4.6 billion tabled by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman at the State Legislative Assembly two days ago.
Lui also congratulated Musa, who is also state Finance Minister, for lowering the deficit to merely RM38 million and thanked the State Government for not increasing the existing sales tax.
He further pointed out that the budget will take care of different arenas and levels of the population in Sabah, particularly on efforts to bridge the urban-rural development gap and uplift the people’s standard of living.
“The budget will also benefit the working class, agro-industrial and business sectors to expedite further economic growth to achieving the vision of a high-income state,” Lui said, when commenting on the 2014 State Budget.
He added that the RM1.2 billion allocation for infrastructural development would indeed spur the pace of development in the state, particularly for less developed rural areas.
He also hoped, however, that the State Government would also give due attention to development in urban areas, such as in the upgrading of bridges and roads, and improvement of infrastructural facilities for the municipalities, particularly in Kota Kinabalu City in terms of easing traffic flow by constructing more flyovers and multi-storey car parks.
On the allocation of RM600 million to build a more reliable piping system, Lui also urged the government to upgrade the water pressure so consumers do not need to install their own water pressure booster pumps to get water to higher floors.
Meanwhile, he also commended the allocation of RM200 million for the tourism sector to improve the respective scenic spots and related facilities, as this sector was expected to bring in revenue of RM6.2 billion to the state next year.
Lui also expressed hope that the proposals forwarded by the 36th KKCCCI Management Committee for boosting the tourism industry would get due consideration from the government.
He also expressed his appreciation to the government for the allocation of RM12 million for Chinese independent schools, Chinese primary schools, and other non-government schools, alongside the RM20 million allocation for non-Islamic religious bodies.