KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 ― Sabah and Sarawak will each receive RM5.1 billion and RM4.5 billion in development spending under Budget 2021, allocations not significantly different from that handed to the two states this year.

In a brief one-liner, Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said the funds will go into upgrading roads, water and power infrastructures, as well as crucial services like healthcare and education.

Infrastructure in the two states have been a longstanding problem, mostly lagging behind their counterparts in the west, a disparity that has fueled strong anti-peninsular sentiment and a growing demand for greater autonomy.

Under Budget 2020, the Pakatan Harapan administration gave Sabah and Sarawak RM5.2 billion and RM4.4 billion each for development, nearly three fold more than what Barisan Nasional allocated in the 2018 budget, and a record high at the time.

Sabah and Sarawak voters form a crucial voting bloc that up until its defeat helped keep Barisan Nasional in power.

The ruling coalitions of Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah remain influential with the federal ruling pact Perikatan Nasional.