KUCHING, Oct 10 2026: Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) Voon Lee Shan has questioned the rationale for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to give less allocation to Sarawak compared what Sabah will get under the federal 2027 budget.
He said Sarawak should receive more as it has larger geographical territory, extensive infrastructure needs and significant contribution to Malaysia's economy.
"What objective criteria do the federal government use to determine how much each state receives?" he asked when commenting to the allocations to Sarawak and Sabah announced by Anwar yesterday.
Under the federal budget, Sabah will receive RM18.7 billion in federal allocations for 2027, while Sarawak will receive RM16.2 billion.
Voon said Sarawak is Malaysia's largest state by geographical area, adding that its vast territory, scattered rural communities, remote settlements and difficult terrain create substantial challenges in providing roads, electricity, clean water, healthcare, education, telecommunications and other essential public services.
"Many Sarawakians, particularly those living in the interior and rural areas, continue to face difficulties accessing basic amenities that should be available to every Malaysian.
"The cost of delivering infrastructure and public services across Sarawak's enormous geographical area cannot be ignored. A fair allocation must take into account not only population size, but also land area, the number of underserved communities, infrastructure deficits, geographical challenges and the actual cost of development," he said.
Voon said PBK is not arguing that Sabah should receive less as Sabahans also deserve development and better living conditions just as much as the people of Sarawak.
"Our position is that both Sabah and Sarawak must receive allocations that genuinely reflect their needs, contributions and longstanding development deficits," he added.
Voon also reminded that Sarawak and Sabah are important contributors to Malaysia's economic strength through their natural resources, energy industries, oil and gas activities, agriculture, forestry, tourism and other economic sectors.
"Sarawak, in particular, has substantial energy and natural-resource assets that contribute to national economic activity," he said, stressing that the benefits of these resources must translate into meaningful improvements in the lives of the people who live in the state.
He said he believes that federal government must recognise the relationship between national revenue generation, the rights and interests of the states, and the responsibility to address regional inequalities.
"We are not suggesting that every ringgit generated within a state must automatically be returned to that state. However, the distribution of national resources must be fair, transparent and responsive to the development needs of the regions that contribute to the nation's prosperity.
Voon, however, said PBKK welcomes any genuine increase in funding that benefits the people of Sarawak, but an increase alone does not establish that an allocation is fair or sufficient.
"The key question is whether the allocation adequately addresses Sarawak's needs and whether the distribution of federal resources is based on transparent, consistent and defensible criteria," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment