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KUALA LUMPUR, 9 Oct: The increase in allocations to Sabah and Sarawak through Budget 2027 was described as a positive development in efforts to meet the development needs of both regions.
Minister of Public Works, Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said that the increase was appropriate given the government's financial capacity and increasingly challenging global economic conditions.
"For me, if that's an increase, it's a huge number we've heard. For me, it's positive.
"We need to understand the economy in its current state, the war and other issues.
"It is not only Malaysia (shocked because) other countries are facing a very challenging situation", he told TVS after the presentation by Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the Dewan Rakyat today.
The 2027 Budget presentation, titled "Rooting in the Sky, Rooting on Earth" saw Sarawak receive RM16.2 billion against RM15.1 billion this year while Sabah will receive a total of RM18.7 billion against RM17.6 billion this year.
In addition, Anwar announced that the road project in Sabah and Sarawak is being continued through 2027 allocation totalling RM3.3 billion.
Commenting further, Alexander Nanta said the government should take a realistic approach in determining development allocations taking into account the current economic situation.
He said that while various development needs still need to be met, the announced allocations for both states can still be considered a source of pride.
In related developments, he said the Ministry of Public Works (KKR) received an allocation of RM350 million for Federal Road maintenance work in Sabah and Sarawak next year.
Obviously, the amount will be divided between the two provinces and although it is lower than this year, it is still much higher than the allocation received in previous years.
"We've done a lot of work this year. So the remainder of this work with over RM100 million allocated to Sarawak, is much more than in previous years", he said. -TVS
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