BY SARAH HAFIZAH CHANDRA & NOOR SYAHHIRA HADY
Besides pursuing health and education autonomy, Sarawak must also ensure that funding from the federal government is available for the purpose.
Satok assemblyman Datuk Ibrahim Baki added that the federal government must not only allocate significant and realistic amount of funds, but also distribute its funds to state agencies responsible for education and health.
“This will ensure that the state agencies can fully exercise their duties and responsibilities in serving the people of Sarawak with federal assistance as well as empower their roles as the ones who are involved in the day-to-day management of these matters in the state.
“This will go a long way in realising the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement (MA63) and the federation.
“The federal government and the state government, through their agencies, must work hand in hand to deliver the best service possible and reach out to more people, especially in the rural areas whereby state agencies have better visibility, access and mobility,” he said.
Ibrahim added this would not only bridge the rural and urban gap, but also ensured the fulfilment of the government’s duties to service the people regardless of whether they are in the far and distant areas of Sarawak
He said this when debating on the motion of appreciation for the head of state’s address on the fifth day of the 19th State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting yesterday (May 19).
Ibrahim pointed out that the federal government could no longer utilise a blanket policy in health management.
“The challenge in Sarawak is different compared to those in Peninsular Malaysia. Because of the geographical factors and distribution of population in state, it is important that there are good facilities and sufficient manpower in the health services to meet the needs of the public.
“With the Ministry of Health (MOH) White Paper being initiated, it is our great hope in Sarawak that the authority of health management can be realised through the legislative process in Parliament in June,” he added.
