Sabah polls: Sabahans want employment opportunities

 

Any party or coalition wishing to form the new Sabah state government needs to offer a solution to the lack of employment opportunities that caused many young Sabahans to move to the peninsula to look for jobs that match their qualifications.

Apart from focusing on the development of basic infrastructure and economic recovery post-Covid-19, the solution to the lack of employment opportunities should be on every potential leader’s priority list.

Political analyst Jeniri Amir described the issue as one of Sabah’s great losses especially in the aspect of manpower, expertise, and human capital development which are needed to boost the state's economic growth.

“I think voters will choose a candidate or party based on their capability and initiative to find the best solution to the issue, apart from their efforts towards the development of the state and the wellbeing of the people,” he told Bernama.

He added that only political stability can ensure that the next state government would be able to create a proper economic plan based on the aspirations of the people of Sabah.

Jeniri said political stability and leaders with high integrity would lure foreign investors to the state, thereby enlivening economic activities and opening up more employment opportunities to locals.

It was reported that the unemployment rate in Sabah was the second-highest in the country, with a total of 112,000 unemployed people last year.

Meanwhile, Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani of Universiti Utara Malaysia said the issues of state development and employment opportunities had been repeatedly voiced out by the people and it had become more critical after the world was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said people would continue raising these issues when approached by candidates contesting in the state election.

A total of 1.12 million Sabah people will go to the polls this Saturday to choose the new state government.

The election is seeing 391 candidates, including 56 Independents, contesting for 73 state seats. This number includes 13 new seats which were gazetted last year.

- Bernama