SARAWAK DAP has slammed Prime Minister Najib Razak for failing to mention in his budget speech today issues of oil royalties and autonomy affecting the East Malaysian states. 

During three-hour speech, Najib announced that RM4.5 billion had been set aside for rural development for Sabah and Sarawak, including for the construction of the Pan-Borneo Highway, bridges and communication infrastructure. 

However he made no mention of oil royalty, a sticking point for the Bornean states which have demanded that it be increased from the current 5% to 20%.  

“The spirit of this budget shows that the BN government is not serious about giving us back the state’s autonomy and fiscal decentralisation,” said Sarawak DAP spokesman Dr Kelvin Yii. 

Yii, who is special assistant to Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen, said there was no mention of the 20% oil royalty although a resolution on the subject was passed in the Sarawak assembly in May, 2014.

“There were no signs of a returning of the revenues required to run our Education Department in our demands for greater autonomy in the state,” Yii said in a statement today. 

While allocations have been made for the development of rural areas especially in infrastructure, telecommunication and electric subsidies, Yii noted that has been a drop in the allocation for the highway from RM16 billion in 2016/2017 to RM2 billion in 2017/2018, upon the justification that all the packages have been distributed and payments have been made in the previous year.

“Questions need to be asked whether all the previous allocations of previous budgets, including the promised RM16 billion for Pan Borneo last year, reached the hands of the intended contractors,” he said. 

Yii also pointed out that work had yet to commence on the flyovers planned for Kuching’s 7th mile, 6.5th mile (Kuching Sentral) and 4.5th mile that were part of the Pan-Borneo project.

“The reality is that the BN government is not serious about returning the autonomous powers of the state. They are more interested in dishing out short-term goodies to win an election at the expense of the long-term interest of Sarawak.”

Meanwhile Yii said, the abolishment of tolls in Selangor, Kedah and also Johor “speaks volume” of the waning confidence of the BN government in view of the inroads made by the opposition in these states, especially Kedah and Johor. 

“The BN government seems to be taking the fight straight to these hot states which many predict will be a hot battleground in the elections.” – October 27, 2017.