Sarawak Federation of Chinese Associations president Datuk Richard Wee. — Borneo Post pic
KUCHING, Oct 31 — Sarawak Federation of Chinese Associations president Datuk Richard Wee has urged the relevant federal government agencies and ministries to provide details on the fund allocations for Sarawak as outlined in Budget 2022.
He said allocations for Sarawak was originally expected to be higher to help the state in catching up with Peninsular Malaysia in infrastructure.
“Overall, the budget is well received as it has a comprehensive coverage in all sectors and communities. The allocation for Sarawak, however, has been a damper,” he told The Borneo Post.
He noted that the fund allocation for education, schools’ development and healthcare requirement was not specified in detail in the budget.
The community leader is looking forward to see greater transparency on the amount of funds allocated to the state soon.
“From all the bullet points without the details as outlined in the Budget 2022, it looks like an expansionary budget which covers the assistance to many sectors and different strata of society. However, we just need to know of the allocation for Sarawak.”
Wee voiced disappointment over the RM4.6 billion development fund for Sarawak next year. The amount was lower than the RM5.2 billion for Sabah.
He was hoping that the federal government would allocate additional funds to Sarawak which is a major contributor for oil and natural gas tax collection and there was still a major gap in the infrastructure development.
He added that the federal government could emulate the leadership shown by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg who set aside funds for Chinese independent secondary schools and recognised the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC). — Borneo Post