KUCHING, Feb 25: Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan has decried the “ill-treatment and discrimination” against Sarawak by the Federal government with what he claims to be a mere RM1 billion increase in development funds to RM5.6 billion in the revised Budget 2023 announced yesterday.
Voon opined that the amount was “far from enough” to enable the region to catch up with development.
Voon also said it is unjustifiable for Sabah to get a larger share of RM6.5 billion, as always the case, when Sarawak had contributed so much to the national revenue not only from oil and gas resources but also taxes collected from government departments, Inland Revenue, Customs, police, judicial as well as land transport.
“I feel Sarawak is badly treated and it is time for Sarawakians to rethink the position of Sarawak in Malaysia caused by this discrimination,” he slammed in a statement today.
Voon emphasised that Sarawak needs at least an allocation of RM30 billion each year for the next 20 years in order to catch up with development to be on par with Peninsular Malaysia.
“It is understood that Sarawak lost about RM100 billion in oil and gas revenue which went to help Peninsular Malaysia. But what Sarawak got over the years could not even boost the economy, and that’s why Sarawak remains a backward region in Malaysia today,” he added.
Voon stressed that the budget for more developed states like Selangor, Penang, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Pahan, Melaka should be cut and distributed to help Sarawak and Sabah.
“The Federal government should also remove tax for tyres for motorcycles and small vehicles because these are ‘poor man’s transport’.
“Taxes for chicken and animal feeds imported into Sarawak should be reduced as it has caused essential goods and services to increase sharply especially after Chinese New Year, making things more expensive that burden the people,” he said.
In the revised Budget 2023 announced yesterday (Feb 24), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Sarawak is allocated a RM5.6 billion development fund, an increase of RM200,000 from the previous Budget 2023 announced by Datuk Patinggi Ismail Sabri Yaakub’s government.
In 2022, Sarawak was allocated a RM4.6 billion development budget. — DayakDaily
