Darell
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has to be ready to show that it is capable of managing its assets, said International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Darell Leiking.
He said Sabah has the talents but there is a need to create more job opportunities, he said during a dialogue at the Sabah Oil and Gas Convention and Exhibition yesterday.
He said 70 percent of graduates find work in Johor because of the lack of opportunities here.
He also said there was very little investment coming to Sabah and Sarawak.
“But that is due to the lack of infrastructure,” he said, adding that this could be attributed to the fact that it didn’t control its own assets.
“It is time to look into it,” Darell said, adding that Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed was pushing Sabahan and Sarawakian parliamentarians with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“Eventually, oil and gas will be in the discussion,” he said, adding that it would not be easy for Sabah (and Sarawak) to be in control of its own assets but stressed that it was time to do so.
“Petronas may need to give way a bit to Sabah,” he said.