Budget 2022 Vs 12th Malaysia Plan - Comparative Study Of Cowshit & Bullshit

                Budget 2022 Vs 12th Malaysia Plan - Comparative Study Of Cowshit & Bullshit

 

16 days after PM Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri tabled the 12th Malaysia Plan in parliament on the 27th September2021, CM Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg (Abang Jo) was reported as saying that the federal government’s RM4.47-billion allocation for Sarawak under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) is still low.

Under the GPS government Post Covid.19 Development Strategies 2030, Abang Jo was gunning for Sarawak’s economy to grow by 6% to 8% per year until 2030 and an allocation of 15% of the total amount allocated under the 12MP was simply insufficient to fuel the desired growth rate.

It was no surprise then that the response from Sarawak’s state lawmakers were noticeably muted. The only praise came from one MP who amongst other things said, “When you zoom in, there is a detailed set of development actions to make a significant difference in Sabah and Sarawak”

What was the promise for Sarawak in the 12MP?

This is how one online mainstream news portal puts it: Sabah and Sarawak will continue to receive between 15% and 18% each of the total basic development allocation annually under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP). At this point, it will do well to remember that there is only 4 years left in the 12th Malaysia plan. It is also necessary to remember that the development allocation for Sarawak in the federal budget must reflect the allocation mapped out for Sarawak and now pro-rated over 4 years i.e from 2022 to 2025.

The total allocation for development under the 12MP is RM400 billion, touted as the biggest 5-year road map ever. Taking the 15% of that means Sarawak share of the development allocation is RM60 billion. Spread over 4 years, Sarawak’s share of the development allocation in the federal budget should be RM15 billion per year for 4 years starting with Budget 2022 but Sarawak’s allocation under the 1st Rolling Plan of the 12MP was only RM4.47 billion.

What was the promise for Sarawak under the national Budget 2022?

The promise for Sarawak under the Budget 2022 is the mirror image of the amount allocated under the 1st Rolling Plan of the 12MP mentioned earlier.

Why is there such a huge difference between the promised allocation under the 12MP and the allocation under the 1st Rolling Plan as reflected in the Budget 2022? How did it happen?

Just in case there are readers who missed it, the difference is more than RM10 billion. In other words, Sarawak has been short-changed by RM10 billion.

Even if we put aside the RM400 billion total development budget target in 12MP and take the development budget of RM75.6 billion in the 2022 budget, the promise of 15% for Sarawak should have seen us receiving RM11.4billion. Instead we were given just RM4.6 billion which is a paltry 6%. In contrast, the Bumiputera (read Malay) agenda was given RM11.4 billion.

Here it is of the utmost importance to remember that RUU MA63 was scheduled for the 1st reading in parliament on the 26th Oct 2021 but it was put off to the 3rd Nov 2021. Why is this significant?

The RUU MA63, which every single Sarawakian was looking forward to, was the instrument that is supposed to restore Sarawak’s status as an equal partner to Malaya and Sabah in the federation of Malaysia. Closely tied to this is the expectations of Sarawakians that the spirit of equal partnership will be reflected in the development allocations under the 12MP and the accompanying rolling plans. This expectation was running high as Sarawak prepare for the impending state elections.

Sarawakians who followed this developments closely were then left to wonder if the postponement of the 1st reading of the RUU MA63 was purposely done to facilitate the passage of the Budget 2022 with its RM4.47 billion allocation instead of the RM15 billion promised in the 12MP. This was and still is the red hot topic of conversations in kopitiams and the kaki lima.

If this was the case, then it would confirm the suspicions of many Sarawakians that our leaders in both the GPS government and the PN federal government are so completely subservient to the leaders from Malaya, especially leaders from UMNO, PBM and PAS that they cannot bring themselves to say a word of dissent in defence of Sarawak’s rights. It is no wonder that we continue to be treated as the meek orphan cousin who happens to own a cash cow in resources, instead of a strong and equal partner deserving of our dues. We are not asking for the moon and the stars, only what is rightfully ours. GPS is clearly incapable of getting even that for us.

Show GPS the exit door in the coming PRN! Vote them out!