Sabah youth celebrated during elections but ignored in budgets, says Segama rep

KOTA KINABALU (Dec 16): Youth are celebrated during election seasons but sidelined when budgets are drafted, claimed Segama assemblyman Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi.

Speaking during the debate on the Sabah Budget 2026, he said young people continued to be treated as political capital rather than a genuine priority in state planning, despite repeated assurances that youth were the backbone of Sabah’s future.

He pointed out that nearly 40 per cent of Sabah’s population consisted of youth, yet only a small portion of the allocation under the Ministry of Youth Development, Sports Advancement and Creative Economy was channelled directly into youth human capital development.

“This clear gap between rhetoric and financial commitment shows that youth remain an afterthought once elections are over,” he said.

Mohamaddin said high youth unemployment, limited training opportunities, skills mismatches and the rising cost of living continued to pressure young people in both urban and rural areas, undermining their prospects and confidence in the future.

He added that rural youth, including those in Segama, faced additional challenges due to the lack of targeted programmes and inadequate facilities, which further widened the development gap between urban and rural communities.

To address these shortcomings, he proposed targeted funding for rural youth, higher grants for youth and sports associations, improved maintenance of sports facilities at the district level, and the introduction of clear and measurable performance indicators to ensure accountability in youth and sports spending.

“This debate is not meant to deny the government’s efforts, but to ensure that every ringgit spent delivers real impact and secures a stronger future for Sabah and its youth,” he said.