BINTULU: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the Pakatan Harapan government will not neglect Sarawak, despite it being ruled by a coalition with a different political ideology.
The Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) chairman said Sarawak is part of Malaysia and therefore deserves to enjoy the fruits of the country’s development.
He assured Sarawakians that Putrajaya will continue to channel development projects and initiatives to the state.
“Although we would prefer to have a state government from (the same coalition or) party, we will not allow Sarawak to be left behind,” he told the reporters after a closed-door meeting on the progress of federal projects in Sarawak here, today.
When asked to comment on the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS)-led state government, which announced that RM1 billion has been allocated to repair and rebuild dilapidated schools in Sarawak, Dr Mahathir pointed out that the funds were a loan from the state government.
“But the (state government) also has some debts, money they borrowed from the (federal government).
“We would prefer that they clear their debts first, since the state has a lot of money and announced an RM11 billion state budget (for 2019) – the biggest state budget in the country,” he added.
Dr Mahathir also said that with Sarawak’s strong financial status, it should be committed towards upgrading its crumbling schools.
To date, 77 schools in Sarawak have been upgraded, while 39 are in the process of being repaired using the Industrialised Building System (IBS).
During the briefing conducted by Sarawak federal secretary Datuk Mansor Man, the Prime Minister was informed that there are a total of 597 projects, amounting to RM14 billion, allocated to the state under the 11th Malaysia Plan.
Dr Mahathir, accompanied by his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, arrived here on Saturday to launch Sarawak PPBM.
