KAPIT, Oct 13: The attempt by certain quarters to play up the issue on development allocation for Sarawak in Budget 2023 will not jeopardise Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) chances in winning seats in the coming 15th General Election (GE15).
GPS secretary-general Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi was referring to claims that the RM5.4 billion development budget allocated to Sarawak was unfair and insufficient for a State the size of Peninsular Malaysia.
“Those who have a political agenda will of course state that the allocation is not enough. But for me, we need to look at it from various aspects.
“Of course as a Sarawakian, I too expect a larger allocation,” he said in a news report by TVS after chairing Upper Rajang Development Agency’s (Urda) board of directors meeting here yesterday (Oct 12).
Given GPS’ huge victory in the 12th Sarawak Election in December last year, Nanta who is also the incumbent Kapit MP, emphasised that the coalition still has the momentum to create another success in the coming general election.
“We are confident that we will win in style. We are not in a state of disarray or often arguing,” he said.
The caretaker Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs added that GPS’ component parties of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) had performed well in GE14 to secure 19 out of 31 parliamentary seats.
“The people need to look at the factors which affect the allocation compared to the amount.
“Currently, the (federal) government is not able to provide more allocations perhaps due to financial constraints and other more pressing needs. We cannot satisfy all parties,” the PBB secretary-general said. — DayakDaily
