ONE-THIRD of the funds allocated for Budget 2023 should go to Sarawak, state Youth, Sport and Entrepreneur Development Deputy Minister Gerald Rentap Jabu said.

He said Sabah also should get a third and the remaining one-third to be shared by the states in the peninsula.

Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim is set to re-table Budget 2023 in parliament on February 24.

“Time for Putrajaya to walk the talk and give Sarawak and Sabah the recognition they deserve (for being partners in the formation of Malaysia),” he said, alluding to the Borneo states not getting their fair share of the budget over the years even though revenue from Sarawak and Sabah oil and gas is a sizeable contributor to national coffers.

“If we have one-third of it, all of Sarawak’s basic infrastructure, especially in the rural areas, could be better developed,” said Rentap.

The Layar assemblyman said Sarawak needs to improve its basic infrastructure as the state has begun broadening its economic base by divesting to the digital economy as well as producing hydrogen for export, carbon capture and storage.

“We need more schools, health facilities, roads, better telecommunication networks.”

He said aside from building more schools, Sarawak needs to repair and maintain existing ones.

“Nothing has been done about it (the repair) and there are many more schools far worse than this,” he told The Malaysian Insight, referring to SK Nanga Ajau in Betong, where he had attended a recent event.

Betong is about 200km from Kuching.

“We need to improve our telecommunication infrastructure.”

Rentap said speaking as the elected representative of a rural constituency, “getting more than what we always get is our biggest aspiration”.

He added even the RM300 million special grant for Sarawak under article 112D of the Federal Constitution, which it would be getting from the federal government annually, is still not enough to narrow the developmental gap between the state and those on the peninsula.

Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Sarawak secretary-general Jonathan Chai said more money was needed to improve basic infrastructure such as roads, internet connectivity and provision of utilities in the state despite the federal government’s tight financial position.

“We need that extra funding to bridge the gap of disparity between East Malaysia and the peninsula.

Chai said the business community in Sarawak hopes the budget would be focused on economic recovery.

He hoped to see stimulus measures, such the implementation of projects that have multiplier or spillover effects onto the market.

“I don’t think we can expect a generous budget with that gloomy prelude,” Chai said, referring to Anwar’s disclosure earlier that the country’s debt has now piled up to RM1.5 trillion. The prime minister forewarned that the government would need to trim its spending.

Chai, nonetheless, said he would be happy if there are “no more surprises”, which tend to increase the costs of running a business.

“Even though there will be financial constraints on the part of the government in coming up with additional funding for handouts and incentives, it could, however, implement policies via Bank Negara Malaysia to relax lending restrictions or even targeted moratorium on repayment of loans to ease the cash flow of businesses.” – February 17, 2023.