Abun: Putrajaya must take united effort to develop Sabah, S’wak as wished by Agong

KUCHING (Jan 31): The federal government must work hand-in-hand with the governments of Sabah and Sarawak to realise the wishes of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah for well-planned development in the two Borneon states, said Senator Abun Sui.

He said their cooperation is vital to overcome challenges in developing Sabah and Sarawak.

He also strongly agreed with Al-Sultan Abdullah’s view that the allocation to develop Sabah and Sarawak needs to be double or even triple the normal allocation and without leakage.

“Sabah and Sarawak will definitely progress and develop vigorously and faster if the advice from the 16th Agong (Al-Sultan Abdullah) is heeded,” he said in a statement yesterday.

It was issued following remarks made by Al-Sultan Abdullah that every development project in Sabah and Sarawak announced by the government must be monitored and implemented as best as possible, without any leakage.

Abun, who is also Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak deputy chairman, said the view of the outgoing Agong is in line with the position of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, that the allocation for Sabah and Sarawak needs to be high in order to narrow the development gap with the peninsula.

“This was what I had also proposed in the Dewan Negara last year,” he added.

In a recent interview with editors and senior journalists of the main media at the Istana Negara, the outgoing Agong said if there is a leak in each of the projects, then the people in Sabah and Sarawak will lag in terms of development compared with those in the peninsula.

His Majesty also said that the allocation for development projects in Sabah and Sarawak is also very important and must be prioritised, considering the area is much bigger than the peninsula.

“So, imagine wanting to build a road, from village A to village B, town A to town B – here in the peninsula only 200 kilometres, but in Sabah and Sarawak it will be doubled (in terms of distance), the cost will also double; the allocations are also double or triple as the financial factor in these two states is very important,” His Majesty was quoted as saying.

He had mentioned these when talking about the ‘Kembara Kenali Borneo’ tour last year, which saw him and his family travelling to the interiors of the two states for the first time.

It had received an overwhelming response and an extraordinary presence of the local community at each destination.