IN his ministerial winding-up speech, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan pointed out the pressing need for the federal government to shift its focus from centralisation to decentralisation.
The Deputy Premier commended the recent recognition of the Public Works Department (PWD) Sarawak and Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) as technical departments under Treasury Instruction 182.
This recognition grants the state government the authority to implement federal projects of up to RM50mil within the state.
“This is a clear testament to the merits of decentralisation, and in fact necessary so that the state government can effectively deliver services to the rakyat,” he said at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting on today (May 24).
He expressed the state government’s commitment to pursuing the approval of additional federal projects for Sarawak and advocating for direct funds allocation to the state.
Awang Tengah, who is also Minister for International Trade, Industry and Investment, further emphasised the need for the federal government to address the issue of decentralisation and empowerment in education and health sectors.
At the same time, he thanked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the federal government for their unwavering commitment to upholding the constitutional rights of Sarawak regarding the implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), manifested through the establishment of the Majlis Tindakan Pelaksanaan Perjanjian Malaysia 1963 (MTPMA63).
