KUALA LUMPUR: Development allocations for Sabah and Sarawak remain insufficient, and this is why the government increased funding for the two states under Budget 2027.
The additional allocations reflect the states’ development needs, particularly in rural areas where poor infrastructure and vast geographical distances continue to pose challenges, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic).
“I have to admit that the allocations are never enough. That is why we must ensure good governance, prevent leakages and avoid awarding contracts indiscriminately,” he told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
He was responding to Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (PN-Beluran), who questioned why many rural development projects in Sabah and Sarawak had been left without funding despite higher allocations for the two states.
Ronald cited remarks by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, that many projects which had not received allocations under his ministry involved Sabah and Sarawak.
He questioned whether political disagreements within the unity government had contributed to the situation.
Anwar, however, clarified that the development allocations announced under Budget 2027 were separate from the projects referred to by Ahmad Zahid.
He said Sabah received the largest development allocation in Budget 2027, followed by Sarawak, with the distribution taking into account geographical challenges, underdeveloped infrastructure and the needs of remote communities.
He stressed that the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) must be regarded as a national commitment rather than a matter concerning only Sabah and Sarawak.
Anwar also said the government had been fair to all, even to the opposition, citing the RM2.2bil increase in federal allocations for PAS-led Terengganu.
The allocation has been raised to RM8.2bil in 2027, compared with RM6bil in 2022, when Perikatan Nasional was part of the Federal Government.
Anwar rubbished claims that the government had been cruel to opposition-held states.
“How is this cruel? We have increased the allocation by RM2.2bil for a state that is 100% opposition-controlled. The word ‘zalim’ (cruel) is often used by the opposition,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
“This is indeed extraordinarily cruel,” he quipped.
Anwar was responding to Datuk Che Mohamad Zulkifly Jusoh (PN-Besut), who questioned the government’s commitment to distributing constituency development funds (CDF) equally among government and opposition MPs.
Che Mohamad Zulkifly said that although the government had previously stated that all parliamentary constituencies were allocated RM2mil annually, funds for opposition constituencies were administered directly by the government rather than through their elected representatives.
Anwar explained that even in government-held constituencies, development funds were not handed directly to MPs, who instead played a role in verifying projects.
On the demand for equal allocations to MPs, Anwar said the government had already offered the opposition a negotiation mechanism similar to the confidence and supply agreement (CSA) reached during his tenure as opposition leader under former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
