Wednesday June 11, 2008

Billions more for Sarawak

By JACK WONG and STEPHEN THEN

KUCHING: The Cabinet has approved an additional RM1bil to fund basic infrastructure projects in Sarawak.

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who announced this here yesterday, said the fund would be administered directly by the Prime Minister’s Department.

Besides the fund, the Prime Minister said the Government had also allocated RM3.9bil for water and power supply projects for the rural schools in the state.

To help MPs reach out to their constituents in the interiors, Abdullah said the Federal Government will provide a RM15,000 monthly allowance for them to do so by helicopter.

“Issues related to basic infrastructure and lack of water and power supply in the rural areas will be discussed by the Cabinet Committee on Investment and Infrastructure chaired by Deputy Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) at its meeting on June 20,” he said at the Kuching International Airport after completing a working visit to Sarawak.

The Prime Minister said under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP), the Federal Government’s total allocation for Sarawak had risen to almost RM12.4bil, the fourth biggest allocation to a state.

He said the state also received the second highest, or 13%, of the allocation given to the Education Ministry. The allocation totalled about RM3.02bil for 2,187 projects.

He said the Federal Government’s plans for rural development in Sarawak focussed on basic infrastructure, water and power supply and the building of roads.

Abdullah, who is the Finance Minister, also assured that Sarawak’s needs would be re-looked under the mid-term review of the 9MP to be finalised this month.

He said he had instructed the Rural and Regional Development Ministry to give special attention to Sabah and Sarawak in view of the topography and vastness of both states.

On the rice subsidy for Sarawak, the Prime Minister said the Federal Government had approved RM200,000 for the state, similar to what Sabah was getting.