By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 8: Federal allocations to Sarawak should not be framed as gifts or gestures of goodwill, given the State’s significant contributions to the national economy through its natural resources.
Responding to remarks by PKR Kuching division chairman Dominique Ng Kim Ho, Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan questioned whether the RM16.2 billion allocated to Sarawak under the Madani government’s Budget 2027 represented a fair return for the State’s contributions to the Federal Government over the decades.
“How much oil and gas wealth has been extracted from Sarawak? How much revenue has been collected? How much has actually been returned to Sarawak? RM16.2 billion may sound impressive, but it does not automatically mean Sarawak has received a fair share of its own wealth.
“Federal allocations should not be portrayed as gifts or acts of generosity. Sarawak has contributed enormously to the national economy through its natural resources. We have every right to demand fairness and accountability in return,” he said in a statement.
Standing on his stance to reject the involvement of Peninsular Malaysia politicians in Sarawak’s politics, he said that Sarawakians should determine Sarawak’s political affairs, and that PBK’s defence of Sarawak’s independence should not be labelled as hatred or intolerance.
Voon further reiterated that PBK is not against cooperation with Malaya, but rather the erosion of Sarawak’s political autonomy and the failure to recognise its rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“Let me make this clear: Sarawak is not asking for charity. Sarawak is demanding justice, fairness and recognition of its rights.
“The real question is why should Sarawakians be expected to remain silent when their natural wealth is extracted, their constitutional rights are disputed, and their political autonomy is challenged?” he said.
Ng’s statement, originally published by Sematong Express, criticised Voon’s call on the Sarawak government to restrict or ban Malayan-based politicians from campaigning in Sarawak during the coming 13th Sarawak Election.
In his statement, Ng questioned why Voon rejected the involvement of politicians from Malaya, and noted that under Budget 2027, the federal government allocated RM16.2 billion to Sarawak, describing it as “more than Sarawak’s own 2027 budget”.
In response, Voon said Ng should ask the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government to disclose how federal allocations and Sarawak’s own revenues have been spent, and demand transparency. — DayakDaily
