Budget 2021: Sarawak minister says Putrajaya can’t please everyone as local parties cry inequalities for Borneo Malaysia

Sulok Tawie

6 November 2020 at 11:57 pm·3-min read

KUCHING, Nov 7 ― Sarawak Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Karim Rahman Hamzah today described the federal Budget 2021 presented in Parliament yesterday as a balanced Budget, though he does not expect it to please everybody in the tourism industry.

He said every sector is covered, including tourism and youth.

“It might not be very big and would not be able to please everyone in the tourism industry, but at this period of economic slowdown due to pandemic Covid-19, we do not expect to be only thinking of ourselves,” he said when asked to comment on the federal Budget presented by Minister of Finance Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz.

“As long as help is there to keep us afloat and other sectors are also assisted, we are also happy,” Karim, who is also the state Youth and Sports Minister, said.

Separately, Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) president Bobby William expressed his disappointment that there is no specific allocation for the Dayak community under the federal Budget 2021 tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz yesterday.

He said the Dayak community should be allocated with the specific allocation under the community development programme as what is being allocated to the Chinese and Indian communities under the federal Budget.

“I believe the Dayak community deserved to be treated fairly like any other communities,” Bobby said in reference to the RM177 million to improve the educational facilities, housing and the development of new villages of the Chinese and RM100 million to the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (MiTRA) to the elevate the socio-economic status of the Indian community.

Bobby asked the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to request the federal government for the allocation, adding that the state government should play its role and act as a bridge between state and federal governments.

Separately, Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi) president Lina Soo, however, said the federal Budget does not reflect the definition of equal status between Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

She said billed as the biggest Budget ever in Malaysian history valued at RM322.5 billion with RM69 billion for development expenditure, Sarawak will get a mere 6.5 per cent or RM4.5 billion and Sabah RM5.1 billion.

She said the lion’s share of the Budget amounting to 86 per cent is spent in Peninsular Malaysia.

Soo wondered how this allocation of RM4.5 billion for the construction and upgrading of water and electricity facilities, roads, bridges as well as health and educational facilities will be stretched to meet and realise the expectations for Sarawak development as stated.

“The longer this disparity continues, the further away Sarawak will lag behind,” she said.

She said an allocation of RM41 million for the native customary rights programmes to be shared between Sarawak and Sabah, is grossly inadequate just to resolve some native land rights issues in Sarawak alone.

“This will disenfranchise our Dayak community further and widen the chasm between the urban rich and the rural poor,” Soo said.

Soo asked where is the clout GPS wields to get a fair deal for Sarawak when it comes to national Budget time.

“Year in year out, Sarawak is a major contributor to the national coffer with our taxes, oil and gas revenues, yet the Sarawak government fails the people in getting so little return, where we remain a poorly developed region with the highest level of poverty, “ she added.

Soo urged all Sarawak MPs to reject the federal Budget 2021 to show disapproval of the unfair and lop-sided treatment meted out to the Sarawak people.

“Not to do so, is to condone the government’s inequitable and discriminatory conduct towards Sarawakians,” she said, adding the Sarawak MPs must stand up for Sarawakians to reject the bullying attitude of the federal government.