KUCHING: Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah described the Budget 2020 as a budget meant to address Malaya’s need.
“A very detailed budget, definitely better prepared than the 2019 budget. A good budget but a disappointment to Sarawak,” he said adding that the budget did not address the General Election (GE14) promises to Sarawak, for example the 50 per cent tax collected to be returned to Sarawak and 20 per cent oil royalty, among others.
Abdul Karim pointed out that despite doubling the Special Grant to Sarawak, the amount (RM16 million since 1969 to RM32 million) was not substantial.
“Yes…the Budget 2020 does make provision for Special Grant to Sarawak, but the amount is nothing to shout about. Sarawak is as big as the whole of Malaya, and granting it a mere RM32 million worth of Special Grant is just like giving ‘dog food’ to Sarawakians.”
He stressed that at the rate of development and the allocation given to Sarawak, the state can forget about ever being ‘On Par’ with Malaya in physical development. As such, the development gap between Malaya and the Borneon states will get bigger.
