 |
| Sabah will receive the lion’s share of development allocations under the 2020 Budget, but the announcement in Parliament on Friday has met with mixed reactions by the state’s leaders. - NSTP/GAMBAR FAIL.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will receive the lion’s share of development allocations under the 2020 Budget, but the announcement in Parliament on Friday has met with mixed reactions by the state’s leaders.
Beaufort Member of Parliament Datuk Azizah Dun is pleased by Sabah’s allocations, saying that the Budget had placed much focus on development in the state, especially in rural areas.
“I am glad that (there is) an allocation to upgrade the rail line between Halogilat and Tenom station in Sabah.
"The budget also focuses on efforts to achieve 99 per cent clean water supply in Sabah and Sarawak, with an allocation of RM470 million, which is under the Rural Water Supply project, worth about RM587 million.
“The proposed RM500 million allocation, under the Rural Electricity Supply Project, meanwhile, will benefit more than 30,000 households in Sabah and Sarawak," she said in a statement, today.
Azizah added that the RM170 million allocation towards subsidising the cost of transportation and distribution for basic goods to rural areas will help folks get basic necessities and petrol at affordable prices.
She also commended the government's efforts to go ahead with the Pan Borneo Highway project, at a cost of RM29 billion, whilst saving RM1.2 billion.
"An allocation of RM250 million through Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to prepare broadband access via satellite technology is also another effort to close the rural-urban gap via technology.
“Connectivity in the interior of Sabah and Sarawak is set to improve. It is a positive change, especially for the younger generations, so that they will not be left behind in terms of current and modern technology uptake," Azizah added.
However, Parti Bersatu Sabah president Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili is more sceptical, saying that there is only a marginal increase in the overall budget for the state, which is insufficient to spur economic growth, especially in the rural sector, which has not seen much economic activity in the last two years.
"For example, the previous Barisan Nasional government allocated RM1 billion each to Sabah and Sarawak to repair dilapidated schools, but the current government has not fully spent the allocation.
"On the allocation for electricity and water infrastructure – it is yet to be seen if they will allocate the funds eventually. (In the last) two years, there have been hardly any new rural projects in Sabah and Sarawak, be it (related to) electricity, water or rural road development.
“(The government has made a promise) ... but whether it will be kept remains to be seen," he added.
|
Comments
Post a Comment