Civil Servants Appointed under Warisan Administrationnot victimised

23 August 2025

KUDAT: The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government has never victimised any state agency officials or Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) who were appointed during the previous Warisan administration.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor revealed that when he first assumed office nearly five years ago, he met with these officials and encouraged them to continue serving the government under the new leadership.

He noted that this was in stark contrast to the approach taken by the Warisan government during their two-year tenure, which, he claimed, was marked by acts of retaliation, political vendettas, and pressure on individuals who were not aligned with their views.

“When they (Warisan) came into power, they weren’t thinking of the people, they were cutting people off, holding grudges, and applying pressure on others. I’ve been Chief Minister for nearly five years, and I have never mistreated a single person, even if they were appointed by Warisan,” he said during a dinner reception at the Grand Ballroom, Kudat Golf & Marina Resort on Friday.

Also present at the event were Deputy Chief Minister and State Works Minister Datuk Ir Shahelmey Yahya; Tanjong Kapor Assemblyman Datuk Ben Chong; and Tempasuk Assemblyman Datuk Mohd Arsad Bistari.

Touching on Sabah’s ongoing water issues, Hajiji explained that many of the problems faced today stem from decisions made during Warisan’s administration, particularly the termination of eight water concession companies.

“Why do we have water problems today? Do you know that when Warisan took over the government, they terminated eight water concession companies? As a result, those companies took legal action, and the government ended up paying RM315 million in compensation, with no returns,” he said.

Nevertheless, he emphasised that the GRS-led government remains committed to resolving these issues, taking full responsibility by initiating major improvement projects.

“This government is accountable. We’re upgrading water treatment plants, our minister is here. We’ve allocated RM300 million for this, and in Papar, we’ve invested RM380 million to upgrade the Kogopon plant from 40 million litres per day to 80 million, which will be completed next year.

“In Tawau and other areas, we’re also providing allocations to address the water supply issues. So the public needs to be aware, don’t just listen to claims on social media saying GRS has failed, that there’s no water, potholes everywhere, with my face shown in the background,” he said.