Datuk Jonathan Chai
KUCHING (Sept 18): The 2023 Budget, set for tabling this Oct 7, should have a fair and equitable review on the quantum of the ‘special grant’ to Sabah and Sarawak as accorded under Article 112(D) of the Federal Constitution, said Datuk Jonathan Chai.
The Sarawak Business Federation (SBF) secretary-general said it was high time for the federal government to put words into action to reflect its sincerity and commitment towards recognising the historical pact under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), and uplifting the pace of development in the two East Malaysian states.
“This will be the last budget to be tabled for the current parliamentary term and more goodies for the ‘rakyat’ (people) can be expected as we are gearing up for the GE15 (15th general election).
“However, due to the constraint of our fiscal position, I don’t expect much on any possible increase in the development expenditure.
“Having said that, I still hope that sufficient quantum of the development expenditure would be set aside for Sarawak and Sabah where their infrastructures are still far lagging behind those in Peninsular Malaysia.
“As a Sarawakian, I would like to see a fair and equitable review on the quantum of the ‘special grant’ to Sabah and Sarawak as accorded under Article 112(D) of the Federal Constitution, in this coming Budget,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday when asked about his wish list for the 2023 Budget.
Chai also hoped that the government could come up with some effective measures to tackle the ‘leakages’ in the country’s subsidy programme.
“We don’t want to see that there are some 1kg packages of subsidised cooking oil ending up in the grocery shops in Southern Thailand, while the shelves in our supermarkets are empty or out of stock.
“Likewise for our subsidised petrol and diesel too.”
He also noted that there had been talks about implementing targeted subsidies to address such issue, but the details of the proposed mechanism had yet to be disclosed.
“Whatever that may be, it’s hoped that the proposed mechanism would be carefully thought out and would not result in sudden inflation or disrupt the momentum of the economic recovery.”
Chai said with the various measures implemented by the government recently that had escalated the cost of doing business, he expressed hope that there would not be more ‘surprises’ that might increase the burden shouldered by the employers and businesses.
He listed the implemented measures to include the revised minimum wage across the country, the reduction of weekly working hours, the increase in maternity leave up to 98 days and the increase in paternity leave.
“Instead, the government should come up with measures and reforms that would enhance business competitiveness and also raise the productivity of the employees in order to offset the rise in the costs of doing business.
“Notably, the government should consider cutting the bureaucratic red tapes in obtaining some of the approvals and streamlining the requirements of getting such approvals, especially in relation to the applications for work permits for foreign workers,” he added.