KOTA KINABALU, July 1 — Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has called for reform of the University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) management to ensure better corporate governance.

He said the call was made following UCSF’s decision to reduce the number of its staff due to the financial difficultites it faced as a result of economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mohd Shafie also urged the UCSF management to resolve the issue as soon as possible and expedite salary payments.

"I have asked the UCSF to update on the matter in the coming meeting,” he told reporters after receiving donations of medical supplies from various parties at the Sabah State Administrative Centre here today.

UCSF vice-chancellor Dr Mohamed Haleem Mohamed Razi through a memo issued recently said the institution had initiated a temporary austerity measure, by putting in place a temprorary remuneration scheme to ensure its restricted funds are able to withstand utill next wave of intake in September.

In another development, Mohd Shafie said the state government had instructed the relevant agencies including the disaster managment committee in each state to deploy boats on a 24 hour basis in flood-prone areas.

He said this is to ensure the safety of residents living in the areas and facilitate evacuation operations if floods occur. —    Bernama