Sabah govt must distribute development allocations fairly across all state constituencies, says Bugaya rep

KOTA KINABALU (Dec 16): The Sabah government must ensure development allocations are distributed fairly to all state constituencies regardless of political differences, said Jamil Hamzah (Warisan-Bugaya).

When debating the Sabah Budget 2026 at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN), he said the state had seen improvements in living standards over the past 62 years in Malaysia, but development was still uneven across districts.

“Some areas are developing fast, while others are left behind. This should not happen in a democratic system,” he said.

Jamil said democracy should prevent the abuse of power and ensure clean governance, accountability, and service to the people, not to political parties or personal interests.

He stressed that unequal allocation of development funds to elected representatives reflected weaknesses in the democratic system.

“If we want Sabah to progress, allocations must be given fairly to all assemblymen, including those from the Opposition,” he said, adding that this practice was common in more developed states.

Referring to the Sabah 2026 Budget, Jamil noted that the total supply stood at RM6.402 billion, with RM1.468 billion allocated for development.

“This means only about 22.9 per cent of the budget is for development that can be directly felt by the people,” he said.

He questioned why Sabah, which tabled one of the largest budgets in the country, could not follow states such as Selangor, Perak, and Negeri Sembilan in providing equal constituency allocations to both government and Opposition elected representatives.

On Sabah’s finances, Jamil reiterated the state’s right to 40 per cent of federal revenue under Articles 112C and 112D of the Federal Constitution.

“The delay in paying this 40 per cent is a denial of justice to the people of Sabah,” he said, urging the state government to firmly defend the constitutional provision.