By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 25: Civil action group Rise of Social Efforts (ROSE) calls for greater transparency and public involvement in the Sarawak Budget 2026, stressing that accountability must rise with the State’s rapid growth.
ROSE president Geoffrey Tang said, despite the budget’s scale, important details remain hard to access and reminded that transparency is the foundation of good governance.
“Currently, only headline figures are easily accessible, critical information such as programme-level allocations in the ministries, contractor details, implementation targets, and constituency-level project lists remain difficult for the public to access and scrutinise.
“Without full disclosure, citizens are unable to assess whether funds are used efficiently, equitably, and in alignment with community needs.
“Lack of transparency also creates spaces for leakages, duplication of work, inflated project costs, and potential misuse of public funds,” he said in a statement today.
He further urged the State government to publish full, line-by-line budget documents in machine-readable formats, release comprehensive development project lists and introduce a public-facing budget with regular updates.
The group also called for open contracting and open procurement standards.
Tang further emphasised that improved transparency would strengthen trust, enhance monitoring and ensure public resources genuinely benefit the people.
He added ROSE is ready to work with the government and communities to promote open data and people-centred development. — DayakDaily
