Sabah focuses on three new initiatives to improve the quality of life of rural residents

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Rural Development Ministry (KPLB) will place major emphasis on three new initiatives under the Development Vote, namely the Alternative Rural Electricity Supply Program (BELBA), Alternative Rural Water Supply Program (BALBA), and the Rural Small Bridge Project (JKLB), next year.

Its Minister Datuk Rubin Balang said the three programmes were specifically designed to improve the quality of life of rural residents through the provision of critical access to energy sources, clean water and safe transportation networks.

“KPLB’s focus is to continue programs covering the development of basic facilities, community strengthening and critical district administration in line with the ministry’s critical role as the leader of rural development in the state.

“To achieve this goal, the ministry remains committed to ensuring that the people of Sabah have equitable access to basic amenities and fair economic opportunities as well as a better quality of life,” he said when wrapping up the debate on the Supply Bill 2026 for his ministry at the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting, here today.

Rubin said the Sabah government has allocated RM1 million for the implementation of BELBA by focusing on micro hydro electricity and solar hybrid systems to supply small-scale electricity to rural areas outside the reach of the main grid.

He said BELBA not only provides a stable and environmentally friendly electricity supply for the daily needs of the community, but also contributes directly to improving the standard of living and overall well-being of rural people.

Next year, KPLB will also allocate RM1 million to implement BALBA with the main focus on the construction of underground water systems and the construction of new gravity water systems.
“This is important to meet the needs of clean water in rural areas that are outside the Sabah State Water Department’s pipe network. The scope is to provide clean water supply in ITU areas that face resource constraints and do not yet have comprehensive maintained pipe coverage,” he said.

As for JKLB, Rubin explained that the project will be implemented with an allocation of RM2 million aimed at building new and upgrading small bridges in rural areas that are difficult to access, especially those that cannot be accommodated under the planning of other technical agencies.

He said the scope of the project included the construction of a suspension bridge, a vehicle bridge (five tons) and a low-level crossing with the main target being in more critical districts, thus expected to have a direct impact on mobility, economic opportunities and the well-being of rural communities.

Meanwhile, state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said Sabah had recorded 3.09 million tourist arrivals until last October, an increase of 17.4 percent compared to the same period the previous year.

He said tourism expenditure was estimated to reach RM7.18 billion, thus showing an achievement of 88.4 percent of the target of 3.5 million visitors for this year.
“This achievement proves that Sabah is on the right track to achieve the state’s tourism targets. This significant increase is driven by the number of flights to the state this year, with 98 percent of arrivals being via air transport.

“A total of 450 domestic flights with a weekly seating capacity of 77,880 connect Sabah to several states in Malaysia, while for the international sector, 15 international destinations with a total of 138 weekly flights with a weekly seating capacity of 25,463,” he said.

In another development, Sabah Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk James Ratib is committed to strengthening Internet access in rural and interior areas in line with efforts to bridge the digital divide in the state.

He said the proposed additional Starlink installations next year would be expanded based on Coverage Operational Area (COPA) criteria such as the area having basic facilities such as clinics, schools and mosques.

“The Ministry of Education (MoE) has upgraded from Starlink to Fiber Optics. It is reported that the installation of 300 megabytes per second PoP by YTL has been completed on 1 Dec 2025,” he said.

The Sabah State Legislative Assembly session continues tomorrow.

— BERNAMA