Dr James Jemut Masing
MIRI: Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Ports Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing has said he felt “let down” by Budget 2020, saying allocations for infrastructure development and other community-centric projects such as NCR land surveys were lacking or below expectations.
Sabah and Sarawak were allocated RM 5.2 billion and RM 4.4 billion respectively.
“It is well-thought out but a bit disappointing against the backdrop of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) election pledges and our need for more infrastructure development and Sarawak’s huge contribution to national coffers,” he said.
“It is peanuts compared to what we gave them.”
He was expecting a higher allocation for infrastructure development in Sarawak due to funds for approved bridges and roads, which were slashed by the federal government previously.
“We wanted more as the state government has to cough up a lot funds for the many bridges and roads projects which were slashed by the federal government post-GE14,” he said.
Masing said this after attending the Head of State;s 83rd birthday awards investiture ceremony at Mega Hotel today.
The deputy chief minister said while it was understandable that the financial constraints were due to the economic slowdown worldwide, he had expected higher allocations by the federal government for the state next year to reflect the shared prosperity in Sarawak.