SABAH should have tabled a RM15 billion budget this year, but could not do so because of the low federal allocation to the state, said Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal.

He said the RM5.009 billion federal allocation for the state is not enough, but did not lay blame on the Pakatan Harapan government.

“Because of the leakages and corruption of the past administration, we now have to make do with what we have,” he said at a dinner organised by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Liew Vui Keong in Kota Kinabalu tonight.

He said Sabah tabled a RM3 billion budget 10 years ago, and the amount had grown by just RM1 billion today.

“In reality, Sabah should be tabling a RM15 billion budget.”

Shafie said the state is backward in various areas, such as education and security, and that its leaders are not parochial when asserting their rights.

“For example, Sabah is asking for only 20% gross from the oil revenue. We are not asking for anything more than that.

“But when I met with the Petronas bosses, they said the company is spending a bomb on corporate social responsibility (CSR).

“I told them that if they provide CSR to a certain community, they will make only a few people happy. But if they return to Sabah its rightful royalty, Petronas can make more than three million Sabahans happy.”

The Semporna MP drew a comparison with the RM11 billion budget tabled by Sarawak.

“Why can the Sarawak government do that, and yet, say they will have a surplus of RM3 billion?

“It is because they’ve managed their finances well and can afford to spend much more.”

He warned members of his cabinet not to accumulate wealth while in office, and called on them to not be mere seat-warmers, but go down to the ground to help Sabahans, including those in far-flung areas.

On state laws, Shafie said he has established a committee to review them and amend outdated ones.

He warned reps that he does not want laws that provide for excessive punishments for minor crimes.

“For example we recently saw two Chinese tourists dancing on the wall of the city mosque in Likas. I told the law minister not to be hard on them as they did not know Sabah laws well. They were let off with a fine of RM25 each.

“We don’t want our laws to be too punitive, to the point that Sabah is looked at, with fear, as a strict state.” – November 16, 2018.