KUCHING: Sarawak and Sabah are not excluded from the Budget 2023 allocation given to the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development.
Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick said his ministry had received a total of RM732 million.
Nevertheless, the amount that Sarawak would receive had yet to be determined as further information had to be obtained from the state, he said.
He assured that Putrajaya was committed to ensuring Sarawak received its share of the allocation.
“Although I have to answer oral questions in Parliament today (yesterday), I am represented by my deputy minister in the Dewan so that I can personally be in Kuching (to seek details).
“This is to show our ministry’s commitment and ensure that the budget allocation reaches Sarawak and Sabah.
“Because of that we appreciate and support the Sarawak Entrepreneur Development Coordination Committee (SEDCC) meeting today (yesterday),” he said.
He said this during a press conference after attending the SEDCC meeting at Borneo Convention Centre yesterday (Mar 7).
Ewon said he had informed Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan that Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) had been gazetted as one of the agencies under his ministry.
“If there is a need, AIM can be made a member of the SEDCC committee and I also express my ministry’s commitment to continue supporting the Sarawak government through SEDCC and the Divisional Level Entrepreneur Development Committee.
“In the context of Sarawak, we also agreed to use the existing structure which is the Divisional Level Entrepreneur Development Committee to channel administrative grants,” he said.
