Baru speaks to journalists after the tabling of State Budget 2020. – Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi
KUCHING: Ba Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian has taken Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg to task over his remarks this morning on the fund allocated to Sarawak under the Federal Budget next year.
Met by reporters after Abang Johari had tabled the 2020 State Budget, Baru, who is the Federal Works Minister, said the chief minister should not pour scorn on the RM4.4 billion allocation for Sarawak out of the total RM56 billion under Federal budget.
“Don’t look down and say: ‘Oh, the government is not giving enough to Sarawak’. We (federal) have to be responsible for our finances, not like the previous regime (Barisan Nasional). So I find it very funny that you try to look down or frown on what had been given to the state,” he said.
Baru explained: “It’s the people’s money and all these constraints that we have on the Federal part is because of what happened under the earlier regime.”
He said it was not the right attitude for the chief minister to complain just because the federal government allocated RM4.4 billion or just seven per cent of the total Federal budget.
“The money doesn’t fall from the sky…Because of that, we need to prioritise the needs.
“Of course, if you ask me, I’d like to say a lot of projects to be implemented in Sarawak. But we have constraints. This is because of the legacy we received and taking over from BN,” he added.
Touching on the chief minister’s comment that Putrajaya had promised to allocate 30 per cent of the federal budget’s development fund to Sarawak, Baru said he could not recall such a promise.
“What fund we have must be given within the ability that we have. The funding that we have doesn’t fall from somewhere else. So we have to be a responsible government we have to be transparent and open.”
He said he welcomed the assistance of the state government to allocate funds to develop Sarawak when the federal could not provide.
“This is how a federation functions. If state can help, welcome, and especially they have allocated for education. Welcome.
“We work together mutually for the benefit of the people. Whatever that is allocated for the benefit of the people, we welcome. So don’t politicise development. I’ve mentioned this over and over. We will provide projects throughout Malaysia based on needs,” added Baru.
Pressed on whether the 30 per cent development fund for Sarawak mentioned by the chief minister was an election promise of PH, he reiterated: “I can’t recall that.”
Delivering his budget speech earlier, Abang Johari said the RM4.4 billion federal budget for Sarawak “represents only 7.8 percent of the total Federal Development Budget next year; and not 30 per cent as perceived by some people.”
He thus called upon the federal government to fulfill its promise to allocate 30 per cent of the total Development Budget to Sarawak.