Soon Koh says state’s 2017 budget to focus on closing rural-urban development gap
Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh
KUCHING: The State Budget 2017 to be tabled by the Chief Minister during the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting on Nov 21 will focus on development, especially in rural areas.
Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said the forthcoming state budget “is going to be development-biased and rural-biased” but he declined to disclose the percentage.
“That is to leave it to our Chief Minister to disclose. I am Finance II, he is Finance I, we work together. Definitely it will be a good budget,” he said when met by reporters at SMK St Teresa here yesterday.
Wong pointed out that the percentage devoted to development would be “what is reverse to the federal budget”.
“Ours is development-oriented budget, and also rural-based. A lot of the greater percentage of the fund goes to rural development. I won’t disclose the percentage. I won’t disclose the figure.
“Let the Chief Minister disclose it later on. But it will be a good budget.”
When pressed for more, Wong insisted: “Let the Chief Minister say. Because I think it is only right that he, as the Chief Commander, disclose what we have in store for the people as a whole.”
Wong said the state government wanted to close the development gap between urban and rural areas.
“So it is going to be rural transformation, rural development programmes and so on, a lot of it.”
Last year on Dec 7, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem tabled the Sarawak Budget 2016 described as development-biased and rural-focused with RM5.97 billion or about 74 per cent of the total budget proposed for development.
The budget also allocated RM2.65 billion for narrowing the gap between urban and rural development.
“To stimulate a desirable level of economic activities and sustain economic growth, Budget 2016 will continue to be a development biased budget with RM5.97 billion or about 74 per cent of the total budget proposed for development and RM2.07 billion or 26 per cent for operating expenditure. The federal budget is almost the opposite.
“To narrow the development gap between urban and rural areas throughout the state, the budget will provide higher allocation in 2016 amounting to RM2.65 billion as compared to RM2.35 billion in 2015 and RM2.19 billion in 2014,” Adenan said in the august house last December.