Federal government to give greater attention to Sabah - Ahmad Zahid

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the federal government would continue to give greater attention to Sabah in various aspects on the basis of the close relationship established so far between the state and federal government leaders. The Deputy Prime Minister said even though Sabah and peninsular are separated by the South China Sea, the sincerity shown by Sabah leaders in supporting the federal government had brought the state close to the hearts of the leaders.

"Even though Sabah is a multi-ethnic state, far across the ocean, but Sabah is close to our hearts and Sabah will continue to be given attention by the country's leadership," he said at an Aidilfitri reception here Thursday night.

Also present were Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak.

The three Deputy Chief Ministers Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, Datuk Seri Yahya Husin, Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah and state cabinet ministers also attended the event.

Ahmad Zahid said through the integration among the various races in the country, especially in Sabah, and the sincerity of the leaders in governing and supporting the country's leadership, he was confident that Sabah would be a developed state. He said the strength of a government does not depend on the structure of the government alone, but on the pillars of the people and the support towards the government's leadership. He added that Sabah was fortunate because the state leadership led by Musa was not only supported by UMNO but also received full support from Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties in the state. Hence, Ahmad Zahid said the support towards the state and country leaders was essential to ensure the leadership and its machinery could concentrate on running the country effectively without interruption. In this context, Ahmad Zahid commended the Sabah government because even though the country's leadership was facing many challenges, Sabah still supported them.

He said all parties must be fair toward the leadership and negative perception spread through social media should not drown or deny the contributions of the leaders who have worked tirelessly to safeguard the welfare of the people.

He said the people must be united and move as a team to ensure the policies and agenda of the leaders and government can be implemented to achieve the desired objectives.

Ahmad Zahid said loyalty to the leaders of the country must come from within the hearts of the people and not by force because such loyalty will remain strong and steadfast.