KUCHING: The restoration of the state’s autonomy in education and health will benefit both Sarawak and Malaysia as a whole, said Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali.
She pointed out that the state will be in a better position to decide what, where, and when these medical or school infrastructure projects should be properly implemented.
As the state government has been pursuing greater autonomy over related matters from the federal government under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), Hasidah commended the commitment of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof to granting autonomy in health and education to Sarawak.
“With this, it is our hope now that better medical facilities, like hospitals and rural clinics, and schools will be available for the rakyat.
“This will ensure that federal funds for health and education are better disbursed and utilised.
“Administratively, there will be smooth implementation of all infrastructure programmes in the state,” she told the New Sarawak Tribune.
Despite the fact that the federal government is responsible for overseeing education, Hasidah noted in May 2022 that the Sarawak government should have more autonomy over how it is carried out.
She emphasised that one of the issues was the 90:10 policy, which recognised that 90 per cent of the teachers in Sarawak were Sarawakians.
As the matter was still under negotiation, she asserted that the state government was negotiating for more autonomy in the implementation of national education policy.
As such, Fadillah, during his walkabout at Sibu Central Market yesterday (Jan 7) noted that the federal government has in principle agreed to return autonomy in education and health to Sarawak.
