/// East Malaysia Property News
Sabah Government to Bridge Urban-Rural
Development Gap
that a total of 1,057 job
opportunities will be created
from this investment.
The official residence of Sabah Chief Minister
Chief Minister Datuk Seri
Musa Haji Aman said
the state government
will continue to focus on
projects that could help
achieve the objective of
reducing the development
gap between urban and
rural areas.
He said the state
government would
also strike a balance on
development between
regions and on efforts to
uplift the quality of life of the
people especially those in
the rural areas.
For that purpose, a sum
of RM1,583.65 million is
allocated for the provision
of infrastructure and public
amenities in Sabah. Aman,
who is also the Finance
Minister, said RM347 million
has been set aside in
2014 for construction and
maintenance of roads, slope
stabilization, construction
and replacement of old
bridges, traffic as well as
road safety management.
He said RM627.92 million
has been allocated in 2014
for the provision of clean
and treated water supply,
to implement programmes
involving upgrading the
quality of our water supply
which includes replacement
of old pipes, emergency
works and reduction in nonrevenue water.
“Other public amenities like
sewerage system will also be
upgraded where a sum of
RM45.31 million is allocated.
Providing safer sea lane
40
passages especially within
the major ports of the state
will be given due attention.
“Construction of jetties will
also be done in line with
the public as well as the
fishermen’s needs. A sum of
RM24 million is set aside for
that purpose. At the same
time, work on improving the
services and infrastructure
facilities of the railway so as
to make it more comfortable
and safer will continue with
an allocation of RM37.45
million,” he said, adding that
RM45.75 million has been
allocated for flood mitigation
schemes.
aRM88.38 million
is allocated to the
manufacturing sector in
2014 in providing conducive
basic infrastructures to
investors in Sabah’s existing
industrial parks such as the
Kota Kinabalu Industrial
Park (KKIP), Lahad Datu and
Sandakan Palm Oil Industrial
Cluster (POIC) as well as
the Sipitang Oil and Gas
Industrial Park (SOGIP).
According to the Malaysian
Investment Development
Authority (MIDA) Report,
investment approved during
the first seven months of
this year by state indicated
that Sabah is placed fourth
behind the states of Johor,
Sarawak and Malacca.
From an investment totalling
RM2.84 billion involving nine
companies in the state of
Sabah, a total of RM1 billion
is in the form of foreign
investment. It is estimated
www.PropertyHunter.com.my
SOP Selling 30ha of Land
for Residential, Commercial
Development
Aman said RM223.99 million
has been set aside next
year to develop the tourism
sector. Between January till
September 2013, tourist
arrivals to Sabah totaled
2,441,695, an increase of
16.4 percent compared to
2,098,509 tourists during
the same period in 2012.
He said this generated an
income or tourism receipts
amounting RM4.49 billion
as at September 2013
compared to RM3.86 billion
for the same period in
2012. With this encouraging
growth, the Government is
confident that our targeted
3 million tourist arrivals in
2013 will be achieved.
He said in 2014, the State
tourism sector targets
tourist arrivals of 3.4 million
people and an estimated
tourism receipts totaling
RM6.277 billion. This target
is realistic considering
efforts undertaken by the
state government through
the Ministry of Tourism,
Culture and Environment
coupled with the
cooperation and support
of the federal government
through the Ministry of
Tourism and Culture,
Malaysia.
To spur growth in the
tourism sector, particularly
on efforts to attract
investment in providing
tourism facilities, Aman
said the state government
has approved the Tourism
Master Plan covering the
coastal areas from Tuaran to
Kota Belud.
This master plan essentially
is a comprehensive
development plan that
would help the state
government to plan the
utilization of the coastal
areas from Tuaran to Kota
Belud effectively and in a
more coordinated manner.
Sarawak Oil Palms Bhd corporate office in Miri
Sarawak Oil Palms Bhd (SOP) is selling nearly 30.7ha
of land along Miri-Bintulu Road to wholly-owned
unit, SOP Properties Sdn Bhd, to be developed into
residential and commercial properties.
The two parties entered into a sales and purchase
agreement for the land, which is part of 121ha under
Lot 120 Block 13 Bukit Kisi Land District owned by
SOP, on Friday.
SOP said an application had been made to the
authorities to sub-divide the 30.7ha, which is
made of 22.4ha in one plot and 8.3ha in two other
adjoining plots, into housing and commercial lots.
The purchase price for the 22.4ha is RM8.3 million,
the company said in a filing with Bursa Malaysia. The
price of the remaining 8.3ha will be calculated based
on the actual area included in the application for
sub-division (in acre) multiply by RM150,000.
“The group is desirous to engage in property
development business through SOP Proper–ties,
being part of its corporate diversification strategies,”
said SOP.
Established in 2001, SOP Properties’ principal
activity is construction and property development.
SOP group owns more than 63,200ha of oil palm
plantations, six palm oil mills with a combined
capacity of 495 tonnes per hour as well as a palm oil
refinery and kernel crushing plant in Bintulu.
The state government, through the State Financial
Secretary, increased its stake in SOP to 29.81 million
shares or 6.8% with the acquisition of 23.14 million
shares from Pelita Holdings Bhd last month. Pelita
Holdings, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Land Custody
and Development Authority, has thus