KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Government has never marginalised Kelantan, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said Kelantan receives the highest allocation from the Federal Government.
He lambasted Bachok MP Mohd Syahir Sulaiman for accusing the Federal Government of neglecting Kelantan.
Mohd Syahir, who is PAS assistant secretary-general, claimed this during a debate with Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli on Wednesday.
During the debate, Mohd Syahir said Kelantan had never enjoyed the benefits of federalism because the state leadership was not aligned with the Federal Government.
However, Anwar said Mohd Syahir’s statement was not based on facts as Kelantan received the biggest allocation from Budget 2023 at RM2.5bil, an increase of RM700mil from the allocation in Budget 2021.
Anwar said that the latest allocation for Kelantan under Budget 2023 was even higher than the one set by the previous government led by Perikatan Nasional, of which PAS is a member.
“His views are not based on facts. I have said that Kelantan has received the biggest allocation,” said Anwar.
“We help in flood mitigation and water supply (among others),” he told a press conference after attending the 36th Asia-Pacific Round Table Conference here yesterday.
He called on Mohd Syahir to instead ask the Kelantan state government about its poor administration.
“A young leader like him should be brave enough to correct internal problems and provide suggestions,” he added.
Anwar said all important views and suggestions from the state government, such as on flood mitigation, water issues and development, were accepted and he is committed to resolving them.
