Sabah, Sarawak need higher allocation to narrow development gap, says economist

 

There is a lack of roads connecting the rural parts of Sarawak and Sabah to the Pan Borneo Highway, an economist said. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: An economist has urged the government to increase the allocation for Sarawak and Sabah under the revised 2023 budget in order to narrow the development gap in Malaysia.

Madeline Berma of Institut Masa Depan Malaysia (Masa) said it was time for the government to step up its efforts to upgrade the infrastructure as well as the quality of education in the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak.

“In terms of rural infrastructure, there has been so much hype about the Pan-Borneo Highway,” she told FMT, referring to the massive project that will link the two states from the north to the south of Borneo island.

“But there are many longhouses in Sarawak that are not connected to it as there is a lack of coastal and rural roads, which are needed.”

Berma said Putrajaya must also improve the quality of education in Sabah and Sarawak, adding that it was not merely about building more schools or upgrading the existing ones.

The government, she said, should also consider providing decent wages for teachers in both states in the budget.

“It has been 60 years (since the formation of Malaysia) and both states remain marginalised and neglected. Sarawak and Sabah need to catch up (with the peninsular).

“The unity government must be in line with its own Malaysia Madani concept. One of its core values is sustainability and this should be reflected for Sarawak and Sabah in the upcoming budget,” she said.

Berma also cited the World Bank’s Malaysia Economic Monitor February 2023 report, which pointed out that Malaysia’s regional economic development was not aligned.

The original 2023 budget announcement in Oct 2022 had allocated RM5.4 billion and RM6.3 billion, respectively, for development in Sarawak and Sabah.

At the same time, RM1.2 billion was allocated to upgrade the infrastructure of dilapidated schools in Sarawak and Sabah. However, there was no mention of upgrading the quality of education.

Meanwhile, Firdausi Suffian of Sabah UiTM said although more funds should be allocated to both states in terms of development and education, there was a need for greater decentralisation.

Firdausi said it would be easier for both states to manage in terms of planning, pointing out that the federal government only took a general view of what was needed.

The government, he added, needed to take a deeper look at the issues at hand.

“Although Sarawak and Sabah received funds to repair dilapidated schools, the problem remains, that is the lack of access to schools in the interior.

“There needs to be more allocation in terms of digitalisation and transportation to schools.

“School facilities should also be on par with other schools in the peninsular for quality education,” he told FMT.

He also said there was no point if more funds were allocated if it was not utilised well.

He said in Sabah, the federal government did not even spend 55% of the allocation meant for projects.

“For the past three years, data shows that it is usually 45% to 45.5%. This means that coordination and planning for state development under the federal government is slow.”

Sabah was previously given RM26 million in special grants, this was recently increased to RM260 million by the government.

At the same time, it was given autonomy over infrastructure projects under RM50 million.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the finance minister, will re-table the national budget on Feb 24. - FMT