PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Madani government had never marginalised allocations to opposition-led states, and that it had actually increased funds to the PAS-led Kelantan by 30 per cent to RM762 million last year.
"The allocation to Terengganu also increased by 28 per cent to RM2.02 billion last year from RM1.57 billion the previous year.
“This increase includes grants under MARRIS (Malaysian Road Records Information System), TAHAP (Economic, Infrastructure and Welfare Development-Based Grants), per capita grants, compassionate money, and other allocations under the joint list," he said.
Anwar said the allocation is the main source of state revenue, especially for Kelantan and Terengganu, which only generate around RM500 million and RM250 million from their own state resources respectively.
He was speaking at the state-level Aidilfitri MADANI 2025 event at Pantai Irama, Bachok, Kelantan, today.
The Prime Minister said that, additionally, the federal government has also approved an allocation for the poverty eradication programme amounting to RM25 million for Kelantan and RM60 million for Terengganu for this year.
On another issue, Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said the government will expedite flood mitigation projects in Kelantan to address the state's perennial flooding problem, which disrupts the lives of people.
This includes exploring new methods not only to tackle the flood issue but also to resolve water shortages during drought seasons.
“Kelantan has identified several key projects, and this year, I have decided that the phased flood mitigation projects, despite their high cost, must be expedited.
"We don't want to continue witnessing yearly floods, with the flood situation remaining unmanageable while governments come and go, including the federal government.
“That is why I have asked Petra (the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation), as well as the Ministries of Economy and Finance, to look into several new approaches.
"In this state, sometimes the water overflows excessively, causing floods, and then in the following months, it’s completely dry, with no water," he said.
Anwar said that while there might be differences between the Federal Government and the Kelantan government, their objective remained aligned.
"Despite the differences, our goal is the same, which is to uplift the dignity of both the nation and the state.
"Therefore, the people's problems must be resolved," he said. - April 12, 2025
