KUCHING – Sarawakian voices are calling for Budget 2023 to allocate a fairer share of funds to the east Malaysian state, which has contributed to the country’s oil and gas revenue.
Local opposition party, Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak (Aspirasi), said Sarawak and Sabah deserve a fairer share of the national spending plan, since the federal government has assured the states that they are now equal partners with the peninsula, its president Lina Soo said.
“Now that we are equal partners after the amendment to Article 1(2) of the federal constitution, both Sabah and Sarawak must get a fair share of the budget allocation.
“If the budget allocation is RM390 billion, Sarawak must be allocated RM130 billion. This is also because Sarawak is the major contributor to the oil and gas revenue to the federal coffers.
“Without this contribution from Sarawak, (the peninsula) would not be as developed and prosperous as it is today. It is time to play catch up,” she told The Vibes..
Soo also called for an expansionary Budget 2023 that focuses on creating jobs, business incentives and providing tax breaks to spur the economy.
She said this will help the nation, which is facing inflationary pressures and an impending global recession.
“As a nation, we are now emerging from the Covid-19 crisis and people are hard-pressed to face monthly financial commitments and are also finding it difficult to place three square meals on the table.
“In view of this, Budget 2023 must see a very generous allocation, beyond last year’s RM332.1 billion.”
Soo added that if not for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has pushed up oil prices, Malaysia’s economy would be in even more dire straits with Sarawak oil and natural gas cushioning the impact.
“Our oil and gas exports are priced in US dollars, and this means the stronger the dollar gets, it causes oil and gas to be more expensive for non-dollar holders.”
Soo is proposing that Malaysia take the bold step to price its oil and gas in local currency, as this will increase demand for the ringgit and also make the petroleum resource cheaper for non-dollar oil and gas-importing countries.
Soo also suggested that Sarawak be given autonomy on education and health with each sector being given an allocation of RM20 billion and RM10 billion respectively.
“It is important and high time for the state to manage its own education and health ministries with the urgent tasks of repairing all the dilapidated schools, revamping the school curriculum and training our own teachers,” she added.
Meanwhile, DAP’s Michael Kong also hoped for more allocations from the federal government for Sabah and Sarawak’s development.
“For too long, we have seen a very lopsided budget where most of the development fund goes to Peninsular Malaysia. We need more allocations now, more than ever, to uplift the people’s standard of living,” said the special officer to Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen.
Kong also suggested more allocations be granted to the education sector so that schools, particularly dilapidated ones in Sarawak, can be fixed with urgency. It is the government’s responsibility to ensure children have a safe and conducive environment to study, he added.
Kong added that more financial allocations must be given to boost the general economy as the number of people in the B40 group has expanded.
Economist Datuk Madeline Berma when contacted said the budget should boost allocations to help modernise sectors such as commercial agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, education, transport, and social services through digital and physical connectivity. – The Vibes, October 2, 2022
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