KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Unity Government is urged to consider increasing the development and operational budget for non-Islamic religious institutions to match the allocation for Islamic affairs, which amounts to RM151.08 million.
Tamparuli Assemblyman Datuk Seri Madius Tangau said that although the budget for non-Islamic religious development and private missionary schools has been raised from RM70 million to RM90 million, he noted that this amount remains unbalanced as it must be shared among various religions.
“The RM90 million allocation is divided among followers of Buddhism, Hinduism, and various denominations of Christianity such as Roman Catholic (RC), Seventh-day Adventist (SDA), Anglican, GYB, SIB, PCS, Methodist, Baptist, and others,” he said during the Sabah State Assembly (DUN) session today.
He explained that the allocation for Islam includes the development and operation of mosques and Islamic schools, thus it is only fair that principles of justice and equality are also applied in the distribution of aid to non-Islamic religions.
Additionally, Madius requested that Taoism be included in the list of non-Islamic religions eligible for state government assistance, in line with the diverse religious beliefs in Sabah.
