Autonomy Must Mean Accountability: How Sabah’s RM1.5 Billion Special Grant Is Being Wasted on the Ground

                                                                     

 

Yesterday, I said: But autonomy must mean more than constitutional negotiations and political announcements. It must also mean accountability, responsiveness, and service at the grassroots level.

On 10 July 2026, I posted the following on Facebook. With the clamouring for MA63 I thought it may be useful to remind Sabahans how some of our money is wasted.  

What’s happening to the Federal Government’s RM1.5 billion Special Grant to Sabah?

On 12 June, the Federal Government released RM600 million. The remaining RM900 million will only be paid once a new Special Grant Order is gazetted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong under Article 112D of the Federal Constitution.

But how exactly is this public money being spent on the ground?

Here’s one example: a playground being built at Golf Garden, Penampang.

I visited the site yesterday and today. What I saw was shocking — zero supervision and very poor workmanship.

Photos attached:

Concrete being poured directly onto grass and soil.

BRC wire mesh laid flat on the ground with no spacer blocks at all.

No proper base preparation.

I called Mr. Jonathan of Majlis Daerah Penampang — no answer. Spoke to his officer (Mr. Billy), who said he would inform Mr. Jonathan. When the cement truck arrived, I called again. Shortly after, the contractor showed up.

I even had to tell the contractor the basic minimum: use spacer blocks under the BRC mesh. I gave him some bricks from my own house to help a little.

Why this matters

Pouring cement straight on grass is a big mistake. The grass will rot and create hidden gaps underneath. The slab will eventually crack and sink.

Without spacer blocks, the steel mesh sits at the bottom instead of in the middle of the concrete. This means the slab has almost no tensile strength.

Exposed or poorly placed steel will rust quickly, expand, and break the concrete apart — making the playground dangerous for children.

This is not how you build a proper playground. This is how public funds get wasted.

Is this the kind of project that makes some leaders so eager to receive the remaining RM900 million?

We have said it many times: Sabahans deserve better. Civil servants and politicians must be held accountable before more millions are released and siphoned through shoddy, unsupervised projects.

Tag your friends. Share this. Demand transparency and quality in how our development funds are used.

 

Just like Paul Revere’s legendary midnight ride, my simple post about the playground at Golf Garden has gone viral — and it happened because of two modern-day heroes who spread the word like wildfire.

Paul Revere’s ride in 1775 is one of history’s greatest examples of how a single piece of important news can travel incredibly far in a very short time through word of mouth. One rider, one urgent message, and suddenly whole communities were alerted and mobilized.

In the same spirit, two incredible individuals turned my post into something much bigger than I could have imagined:

Ms. Emi Pyh

Encik Mohammad Ariffin Khan

You two are our local Paul Reveres!   Because of your shares, comments, and passion in amplifying the issue, my original post has now reached far more people than any of my previous posts ever have. What started as a concerned voice about the cementing of our children’s playground has become a community conversation that simply cannot be ignored anymore.

Thank you both from the bottom of my heart. Your swift action shows that when good people stand up and share what matters, real change becomes possible.

To everyone who read, shared, commented, or tagged their representatives — you are part of this momentum too. Let’s keep the energy going for the sake of our children and our neighbourhood. Together, we ride.

#CommunityVoices

#ThankYouEmyAndAriffin

To be continued: