BY GOH PEI PEI & GABRIEL LIHAN
KUCHING: The federal government has agreed to increase the annual special grant to Sarawak from RM16 million to RM300 million.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said an agreement has been reached that the allocation under Article 112D of the Federal Constitution will be distributed based on the formula proposed by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
At the initial stage the federal government will increase the grant to RM300 million for Sarawak and RM260 million for Sabah.
“The formula is reasonable and necessary due to the status of Sarawak and Sabah, based on the Malaysia Agreement 1963, when establishing the Federation of Malaysia.
“This is not an agreement between the two regions and I, but that was written in MA63, agreed upon by the country’s forefathers,” he said after chairing the high-level Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) implementation action committee meeting at the state legislative assembly (DUN) complex today (Jan 202).
Among those present at the meeting were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, Abang Johari, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
Based on the formula, Anwar said, the federal government should not fix a set amount but base it on an agreed formula and the country’s financial performance.
“If the country is doing well, the allocation can go beyond that amount (RM300 million). But, when the economy is slow like now, we could not afford to give more,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Abang Johari expressed his gratitude and thanked the prime minister for resolving a few outstanding matters in the MA63 and fulfilling Sarawak’s demands.
“This (meeting) is not about discussion (again), it is about implementation,” he said.
Hajiji also said he was confident that more issues could be resolved under Anwar’s leadership.
Anwar was on his first official visit to Sarawak after taking his oath of office as the 10th prime minister on Nov 24.
He will perform his Friday prayers at Masjid Jamek and scheduled to attend a public feast at Kubah Ria at 2pm before returning to Putrajaya.
