Federal govt does not treat Sarawak ‘like a stepchild’, says Zuraida

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(From third left) Voon, Nurhanim, Zuraida, Ling and others gather for a group photo during the event in Sibu.

SIBU: The development and economy of Sarawak will be adversely affected if its government continues to refuse to work with the federal government.

In stating this, Minister of Housing and Local Government Zuraida Kamaruddin also said she was unsure about Sarawak going bankrupt in three years’ time if Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) continued to rule the state, as claimed by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.

“That, I am not sure because finance is not my field.

“But if there is no strong or solid cooperation, there is a possibility that this would impoverish or reduce economic activities at the state level,” she told reporters at a press conference held during an event at a hotel here yesterday.

Zuraida urged the Sarawak government to work with the federal government in the development of the state, assuring all that the federal government did not treat Sarawak ‘like a stepchild’.

“We still continue distributing all allocations that we must give to the state.

“In fact, Sarawak received the most allocation under 11th Malaysia Plan, under Budget 2019.

“At my ministry level, we give out a lot of budget for local authorities. I don’t remember the amount,” she said.

Also present were Sibu MP Oscar Ling, Pelawan assemblyman David Wong, Bukit Assek assemblywoman Irene Chang, Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Women national vice-president Voon Shiak Ni, PKR Sarawak deputy chairman Baharuddin Mokhsen and event organising chairperson Nurhanim Mokhsen.