KUALA LUMPUR: Sarawak may soon see an increase in its special interim payment as ongoing negotiations with the Federal government are expected to be finalised in the near future.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the increase in the special interim payment, similar to what Sabah receives, should also be extended to Sarawak in line with the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“This matter will be resolved as soon as possible, and negotiations are currently ongoing between the Treasury Secretary-General Tan Sri Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican and the Sarawak State Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday (June 30) as reported by TVS.
He was responding to a question from Sri Aman MP Datuk Seri Doris Sophia Brodie, who asked whether Sarawak would receive an increase in interim payments similar to Sabah.
Anwar said the progress of the negotiations was not announced during his visit to Sarawak as the focus was on the handover ceremony of Bintulu Port from the federal government to the Sarawak government.
Meanwhile, commenting on Sabah’s RM1.5 billion increase in interim payment rates, Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said it was based on mutual understanding with the state government under the MA63 framework.
For the record, Sarawak’s special interim grant has been set at RM600 million annually, effective from 2025 onward.
