KOTA KINABALU: Sabah deserves the right to receive the highest development allocation under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) by virtue of its region status in East Malaysia.
Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Sabah Star) president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said geographically, Sabah is the second largest state in Malaysia, so bigger funds are needed to create life-changing impact in some of the state's poorest districts in the country.
Kitingan, who is also deputy chief minister, said Sabah deserved to be given the highest allocations than other states and this must be understood as her right.
"Sabah should have never been thought of as one of the states in Malaysia. It is a region. Our districts should be treated like the states in Malaya.
"We welcome the big development allocations from the federal government and we've been told that it's the biggest. But, it is our right to receive it because as I've stated Sabah is a big region," said Kitingan, who is also state Agriculture and Fisheries Minister.
The Federal government has allocated RM4.66 billion for Sabah and RM4.47 billion for its neighbour, Sarawak under the 12MP and channeled via the First Rolling Plan 2021 on September 27.
He commended the prime minister for his foresight and concern for the welfare of Malaysians in Sabah and Sarawak.
He also pointed out since eight out of 10 poorest districts were in Sabah, receiving huge development allocations would help to reduce the wide economic and connectivity gaps that have existed for decades.
As equal partners, he said both Sabah and Sarawak deserve to receive a large chunk of the funds due to their vast land areas.
Kitingan pointed out that despite contributing billions to the federal coffers, the distribution of wealth was always unfair to Sabah and Sarawak.
He urged that development funds must be distributed based on the size of the states or regions as even his Keningau parliamentary constituency was bigger than Perlis, Malacca and Penang combined.
Furthermore, Kitingan said the prime minister has stated the Federal government would resolve the outstanding issues in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
The returning of 40 per cent net revenue the Federal government derived from Sabah is one of the 'low-hanging fruits' that could be achieved right away, he said.
"Overall, I am quite pleased with the plan, particularly the assurance from the Federal government that it will continue the process of handing over regulatory power for gas and electricity under MA63.
"This process should be completed as soon as possible before the 12MP is over," he said.