KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Government should consider RM100 billion for Sabah under the Twelfth Malaysia Plan (12MP) budget based on 50:25:25 ratios as recommended by Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) Sabah President Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan in the Parliamentary Debate on Tuesday.
Karambunai STAR Division Chief Kapitan Stephen Teo said, the formula proposed by Dr Jeffrey as the Member of Parliament for Keningau was fair, where the states in Malaya will get a total of RM200 billion while Sarawak RM100 billion out of the total estimated RM400 billion under the 12MP.
“The distribution of the allocation among three equal territories are for a 50 percent for the states in Malaya and 25 percent each for Sabah and Sarawak,” said Stephen who is also a Board Member of the Sabah Rubber Industry Board (LIGS).
According to Stephen, the distribution of allocation is fair to develop Sabah and Sarawak in line with the development achieved in Malaya.
Stephen stressed that the formula is in line with the recognition of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak as three equal territories in the Formation of the Federation of Malaysia.
Stephen explained that the formula for the distribution of the 50:25:25 allocations between the three equal territories is also enshrined in the 1963 Malaysia Agreement (MA63), the Report of the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) and the current Federal Constitution.
Stephen added that the formula is also based on the concept of the Vision of Shared Prosperity in the Malaysian Family.
According to Stephen, Sabah in particular needs the distribution of allocations in accordance with the constitutional right to overcome the problem of poverty where eight of the 10 poorest districts in Malaysia are located in Sabah.
“Sabah not only faces the problem of hardcore poverty but also the problem of treated water facilities and gravel roads, including in the Kota Kinabalu City Hall area such as Karambunai, Darau, and Inanam State Assembly in the Sepanggar Parliamentary constituency,” he said.
One more thing, Stephen said, the construction of infrastructure facilities is very urgent to be implemented in the border districts of Kalimantan following the relocation of Indonesia’s new capital to East Kalimantan.
Stephen sees the matter as a national development issue, but Sabah has taken a proactive approach in approving the road construction project between Serudong Tawau and Simanggaris North Kalimantan.
Apart from the Jalan Serudong – Simanggaris project, similar projects between Pagalungan Pensiangan and Malinau district, North Kalimantan need to be considered for implementation.
“The two road projects, Serudong-Simanggaris and Pagalungan-Malinau can put Malaysia in line with Kalimantan, Indonesia in offering foreign investment attractions,” he said.
Stephen believes that the implementation of the Sabah-Kalimantan cross-border road project can further enhance Sabah’s importance in the context of BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Indonesia Malaysia Philippines-East Southeast Asia Growth Area).
