SIBU: The Sarawak government has been asked to utilise the RM32 million special grant from the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government under Budget 2020 in a transparent manner.
Bukit Assek assemblywoman Irene Chang said the ball is now in the state government’s hands to complement the work started by the federal government to ensure that the funds are proportionately distributed all over Sarawak, especially in the rural area.
Irene Chang
“I therefore call on the state government to work with the federal government to allow it to bring real benefits to our people,” she said in a statement yesterday.
She pointed out that despite the challenging economic prospects, the federal government had given both Sabah and Sarawak an increment of the special grants under Article 112D of the Federal Constitution.
Chang pointed out the review under the said Article had not been done since 1969 and was long overdue.
“This is an assurance that the federal government has not forgotten their pledges to Sabah and Sarawak. And that despite the huge challenge to turn the whole country around from one on the brink of bankruptcy to one with a thriving and robust economy, the federal government is trying to make up to the people of Sarawak in many ways,” she said.
Chang said Sarawak is also the second largest development expenditure recipient, after Sabah, amounting to RM4.4 billion, while rural road projects amounting to RM224 million will benefit the 145,000 rural population.
“With these inroads to be made into the rural population, the huge disparity between the rich and the poor in the state should eventually be narrowed.
“This would be no mean feat as it was recently reported that although Sarawak received the third highest number of investments among all the states in the country, the state also recorded the highest number of households registered under eKasih of about 30 per cent,” she said.
“There is obviously a very disproportionate distribution of wealth in the state. Therefore, the gesture by the PH federal government in trying to uplift Sarawak financially and economically should be received with an open heart by the state government.”