KOTA KINABALU: The 2025 Budget has progressive measures to provide a prosperous livelihood for the people without compromising the nation's economic wellbeing, said Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
The Sabah chief minister said the proposed allocation of RM6.7 billion for Sabah next year was an increase of 0.45 per cent compared with this year's RM6.67 billion.
"This is sufficient to continue with the development projects during the final year of the 12th Malaysia Plan next year," he said in a statement after the tabling of the budget by Prime Minister cum Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at Parliament.
Hajiji said the state government also appreciated that the prime minister put on record of Sabah's right for development as stipulated in the 1963 Malaysia Agreement (MA63).
He said the federal government's decision to increase the interim special payment to Sabah from RM300 million to RM600 million next year, was also included in the budget.
"Sabah lauds the federal government's continuous focus to narrow the regional development gap through the provision of basic amenities, like roads and water and electricity supply," he said.
Hajiji also welcomed the announcement that the acceptance letters for the 17 packages of the Pan Borneo Sabah 1B Phase (worth RM9.7 billion), which included the Kota Belud-Kudat road alignment, Tawau to Kampung Lot M and Telupid to Ranau, had been issued.
The federal government had finalised the Sabah Sarawak Link Road Phase worth RM7.4 billion, with two packages already awarded and the rest before the end of this year.
This included the upgrading of the Tawau Airport and the allocations to repair dilapidated schools in the state.