KUCHING, Nov 5 — Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg today announced the state’s 2019 budget of RM11.914 billion — the biggest in the state’s history.

Many also regarded it as rural-based and people-centric budget, while critics were quick to say that it was a political budget to win the hearts of rural voters in the coming state election.

"It is like a political survival budget, but I want to stress that I am not at all against development to be carried out in the rural areas,” said DAP assemblyman for Pending Violet Yong.

While claiming that it was BN/GPS’s unfair policies and mistreatment in the past 55 years that had caused rural folks to be left behind in terms of development, she said rural folks deserved to enjoy equal development like those in the urban areas.

She said the budget announced today also showed that the GPS government has just woken up from their 55 years of sleep and that if there had been no change in the Federal government after the May 9 general election, Sarawakians might not see the outcome of today’s state budget.

"I support the budget in particular the adoption of Pakatan Harapan policies for newborn babies and the introduction of 5 per cent tax on petroleum products,” she added.

Meanwhile, DAP Member of Parliament (MP) for Bandar Kuching Dr Kelvin Yii commended the budget, saying that it put a big emphasis on development especially in the rural areas.

Yii said the lack of and under development that Sarawak was facing right now was due to chronic neglect by both the BN Federal and state government, which GPS is part of it.

"What a shame that such an announcement (of big budget) only comes now when the state election is fast approaching and GPS probably felt somewhat threatened of losing power in the state,” said Dr Yii.

"But now that a big budget is announced, it needs greater policies of accountability and transparency… to ensure that the money is channelled and used to directly benefit the people, not just cronies or people in power,” he added. — Bernama