KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 27): The government has defended its decision to provide larger development allocations for Sabah and Sarawak, citing their geographical challenges and infrastructure needs.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said these needs included the poor condition of roads in several areas of Sabah, despite its smaller population compared with other states.

“We should not look at this from the perspective of just one state when it comes to addressing the needs of Sabah and Sarawak.

“No, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) must be viewed as a national covenant. It is in our collective interest to safeguard the interests of everyone,” he said in response to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (PN-Beluran) during the ministers’ question time in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday.

Ronald sought clarification on the decision to reduce or withhold allocations for certain projects in Sabah and Sarawak under the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW), despite the two states being entitled to greater allocations under MA63. He also raised the possibility that the decision was influenced by political differences.

In response, Anwar said the development allocations for Sabah and Sarawak announced in Budget 2027 did not include expenditure for the projects under KKDW raised by the MP.

“What we announced were projects approved based on the latest assessments,” he said.

Anwar said the government acknowledged that development allocations would not be sufficient to meet every need, but stressed that good governance must be ensured to prevent leakages.

He said procurement processes and contract awards also needed to be scrutinised to ensure compliance with regulations and take into account the capacity to implement the projects.

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