BINTULU: Sarawak without a doubt needs more allocations to close the development gap with Peninsular Malaysia.
Jepak assemblyman Datuk Talib Zulpilip said the federal allocation to Sarawak was currently insufficient considering the state’s large land area compared to the peninsula and its large contribution to the federal coffers.
“Sarawak needs to catch up in terms of infrastructure, schools, hospitals and so on. There are many schools that need to be upgraded, especially in rural and remote areas. Similarly clinics, many more are needed or have to be upgraded, especially old clinics.
“In terms of infrastructure, Sarawak’s needs are very real. There is no doubt that allocations should be increased,” he said when asked for comment on the revised Budget 2023 presented by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last Friday.
Talib said Sarawak had already used a lot of its own funds for the construction of bridges, for example, compared to other states.
“As such, Sarawak has the right to demand additional budget for infrastructure,” he said, pointing out that the cost of construction for projects in Sarawak is usually high, especially in inland areas.
“Apart from being far away, sometimes there are no roads and places to unload construction materials need to be built. All this adds to the cost,” he said.
Therefore, he recommended that federal officials go to the field more often to find out the actual situation in Sarawak, stressing that close cooperation between federal level officials and officials in Sarawak is important so that ground information is really taken into account in planning.
