KUALA LUMPUR – Parti Warisan (Warisan) is pledging an infrastructure-driven economic reset for Sabah, anchored by mega-projects that include a deep-sea export port in Kudat, a revived state railway network, large-scale agro-industrial zones, and new hydropower dams in the east and west.
Launching the party’s 17th Sabah state election manifesto on Sunday, Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the proposals are designed to lift the state “from poor to prosperous” while creating long-term jobs and reshaping Sabah into a major export engine for the East Asean region.
“This is not just about winning an election. This is a mission to rebuild Sabah into a self-sufficient, advanced and prosperous state,” he said during a Warisan Mega Talk near Donggongon.
Central to the manifesto, titled ‘Save Sabah Mission – Warisan Edition’, are large-scale transport, energy and food industry linkages that Warisan argues Sabah has lacked for decades. The Kudat deep-sea port plan and a statewide railway network are aimed at integrating rural producers with export markets, while cutting logistics costs that have long undermined Sabah’s competitiveness.
“We must build an economy strong enough so our young people no longer feel they need to leave Sabah to find opportunities,” the Semporna MP was quoted saying by Borneo Post.
He said the infrastructure push complements a broader shift towards agro-based and fisheries industries, through designated food-production hubs in Kalabakan and Sipitang, as well as an agricultural university in Lahad Datu to produce technical talent.
Warisan also proposes new hydropower dams on both sides of the state, positioned as solutions to chronic electricity shortages that have hindered investment and pressured industrial players.
Expanded internet infrastructure for rural and island communities would further integrate isolated economies into the larger state development plan.
Mohd Shafie argued that these projects, backed by tighter controls on logging and better land-use planning, would foster growth without sacrificing Sabah’s natural assets.
The manifesto includes proposals to create eco-tourism zones running “from Kinabatangan to Banggi” and reduce long-standing overdependence on imports.
He said the goal is to build a long-term ecosystem where farmers, fishermen and rural communities drive Sabah’s industrial transition instead of being marginalised by it.
Warisan is also pushing to revive state-run Education and Health ministries to provide local governance over hospital construction, vocational pathways and school syllabi.
According to Mohd Shafie, the manifesto marks a “strategic restructuring of Sabah’s future,” driven not by short-term promises but by physical and economic transformation.
“This is a mission to rebuild Sabah,” he reiterated.
“We must be bold in our vision if we want prosperity that belongs to the people of our state,” he said. – November 24, 2025