KUCHING: The 2021 State Budget which will be tabled during the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Sitting tomorrow (Nov 9) will be development-biased with emphasis on the rural areas.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said the budget allocation would be similar to the previous one.
“We wait for tomorrow but I can give you the gist only. It is development-biased just like before and also rural-biased,” he said at a press conference after chairing the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Supreme Council meeting at its headquarters here on Sunday.
He said the proportion would more or less be the same, with 70 percent to focus on development.
“It could be slightly less with nearly 70 percent for development as due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are giving a lot of incentives in the Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang (BKSS),” he said.
The other 30 percent would be allocated for operating expenditure.
Abang Johari, who is Finance and Economic Planning Minister will table the Supply (2021) Bill, 2020 tomorrow. State assemblymen will debate on the bill on Wednesday and Thursday.
In the 2020 State Budget, themed ‘Accelerating Development for the Wellbeing of all Sarawakians’, RM9.891 billion was allocated of which RM6.597 billion was for Development Expenditure and the remaining RM3.294 billion for Operating Expenditure.
On the PBB meeting, Abang Johari shared among the matters discussed were on the party’s direction and how to solve problems faced by the party.
“We also discussed on Covid-19 which has greatly impacted the livelihoods of the people, and with Kuching to be placed under conditional movement control order (CMCO) starting Monday (Nov 9) in order to flatten Covid-19 curve, this mean that there are standard operating procedures that have got to be followed,” he said.
