KUCHING, Nov 7: Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen said in the National Budget 2021 – the proportion of development expenditure (DE) specific for Sarawak out of the total development expenditure has dropped to 6.5 percent.
He pointed out it was 7.8 percent in Budget 2020.
“In Budget 2020, the total DE was RM56 billion and Sarawak was allocated RM4.4 billion and Sabah RM5.2 billion. Therefore, the DE allocation specific for Sarawak was 7.8 percent of the total DE in 2020.
“In Budget 2021, the total DE was RM69 billion, but Sarawak was allocated only RM4.5 billion and Sabah RM5.1 billion. Thus, the DE allocation specific for Sarawak was only 6.5 percent of the total DE for the year 2021,” he said in a statement today.
With the total DE for the country increased by RM13 billion, from RM56 billion to RM69 billion, Chong elaborated that Sarawak’s DE merely increased by a paltry RM100 million.
“Its share of the total DE allocation has thus dropped from the 7.8 percent in 2020 PH’s (Pakatan Harapan) Budget to the present 6.5 percent in 2021 PN’s (Perikatan Nasional) Budget.
“This is definitely a huge let down for the so-called ‘king-maker’ GPS and short-changing Sarawak for ‘king-making’ the PN, Umno and Pas, as the federal government,” he explained.
What was most disgusting, Chong who is also the Stampin MP, said was the response of the GPS leaders on the huge short-change by the PN government on Sarawak.
“Last year, when the PH government allocated 7.8 percent of the total DE to Sarawak, all the GPS leaders cried foul and were all up in arms.
“This year, when the PN government allocates a mere 6.5 percent of the total DE to Sarawak, the GPS leaders are happily accepting it with (Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi) Abang Jo(hari Tun Openg) saying that he is ‘satisfied’ and thanks to the federal government for the allocation,” he added. — DayakDaily
