KOTA KINABALU  The Federal Government is fully aware that Sabah is a state with different economic characteristics from that of Peninsular Malaysia.

As such Sabah has special needs that demand special attention, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib TunRazak.

“This awareness is fully illustrated in the huge development allocation for Sabah under the 9th Malaysia Plan (9MP),” he said at the opening ceremony of Sabah International Expo 2008 at 1Borneo Hypermall yesterday.

“This massive funding will help to alleviate poverty and narrow the regional development imbalance which Malaysians in Sabah have expressed deep concern. The Federal government has also pledged to support the Sabah Development Blueprint from 2007-2025,” he said.

He believed that with the continued cooperation between the State and Federal Governments the implementation of the Corridor would bring about unprecedented development in sectors such as oil palm, oil and gas, biomass, biotechnology and non-metallic minerals such as silica and limestone.

“Therefore, we must focus on our implementation and execution of these initiatives and make it visible to the people and there must be changes on the ground where the people can realise the benefits from the substantial allocation under the 9MP,” said the Finance Minister.

Unknown perhaps to many, he said the Federal government had been supporting Sabah government companies in the development of major projects such as the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park and the palm oil industry clusters.

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