BY JACINTHA JOLENE & ALEXANDRA LORNA
KUCHING: The federal government takes Sarawak seriously and this is reflected in the allocation provided under Budget 2023, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said the budget of RM5.6 billion allocated to the state this year is high compared to the previous year for the implementation of about 980 development projects.
By granting power to the state government to implement projects below RM50 million without requiring approval from Putrajaya, Anwar said the federal government is providing full support to the state government to carry out the development projects deemed beneficial to the rakyat, for example the clinic project in Kapit or drainage project in Lawas.
“I am mentioning this to show that I no longer view it from the perspective of state interest. If there are serious floods in Kelantan, then I will allocate an additional RM1 billion for flood mitigation projects in Kelantan.
“Recently, there are issues concerning water supply in Sabah and Kelantan. So, I have called the state leaders to expedite the solutions and these are among the urgent matters that I mentioned,” he said during the Gawai Dayak 2023 celebration at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) last night (June 7).
With regard to Sarawak, he said a sum of half a billion will be allocated to improve the facilities at the border following Jakarta’s move to shift its capital to Nusantara, Kalimantan.
“Sarawak will be exporting gas to Nusantara. However, at the border, some of the building facilities on the Indonesian side are better. Therefore, we are allocating half a billion ringgit for Sarawak to prepare (improve facilities at the border),” he added.
Anwar also announced an allocation of RM350 million to build various medical facilities in the state such as the Sarawak Cancer Hospital, laboratories and clinics.
To show concern for the people, Anwar said about RM296.6 million has been allocated to 868,498 beneficiaries in Sarawak under the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR)
“And under the Social Welfare Department (JKM) assistance, about 43,630 individuals benefited from this with a total allocation of RM253 million,” he said.
