Problem Statement

Sabah’s development pathway is rooted in its colonial past and shaped by a legacy of extractive economics, patronage politics, and entrenched inequality. Since its formation under the British North Borneo Chartered Company and subsequent incorporation into Malaysia, Sabah has remained a resource-rich yet structurally impoverished state. While vast tracts of land and natural wealth are allocated to logging, oil palm, and protected areas, most Sabahans are left with limited access to the land, seas, and forests that once sustained them. This disconnect deepens social and economic divides, erodes cultural identities, and devastates ecosystems. Efforts to modernize continue to marginalize local communities, severing ties to ancestral lifeways and replacing stewardship with dependency. The dominant narrative of development has reduced Sabahans to participants without power, caught in systems that degrade both people and place.

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The Sabah Holistic Progress Metric: A Living Compass

To reimagine development, we must redefine how we measure progress. The Sabah Holistic Progress Metric will be co-created through a participatory process that centers the voices and experiences of Sabahans across the state. Using smartphone-based platforms, AI, and new technologies for “mass listening,” a network of players, with facilitation by Forever Sabah, will gather insights from diverse communities about what truly matters to them—what defines quality of life, belonging, security, and prosperity.

This metric will include domains and indicators grounded in cultural and community values, and lived realities. It will evolve through experimentation with visual, oral, and written formats, and through partnerships with local organizations close to communities. The goal is not just a new index, but a new relationship between people and policy: one that ensures all Sabahans are heard, seen, and involved in shaping the future of their state.

Beyond measurement, the holistic progress metric is a catalyst for civic imagination and empowerment. It invites individuals and communities to articulate their aspirations and participate in governance processes with greater agency and clarity. By embedding the metric into dialogues with local government, civil society, and decision-makers, we aim to influence policies and investments that are genuinely reflective of local priorities and ecological limits. Over time, the metric can become a shared tool for reflection, accountability, and collective direction-setting — illuminating what it means to thrive in Sabah, on Sabahan terms.

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