State’s budget likely to remain devt-biased

KUCHING: The state’s Budget 2018 is expected to remain development-biased.

Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said Sarawak had to control its operating expenditure to give way to more development in the state.

As such, he said as much as 70 per cent of the total state budget would be set aside for development.

“State budget will be different a bit. I will announce it when the time comes. Our approach is different because we want to control operating expenditure,” he said at a press conference after opening SK Landeh in Padawan near here yesterday.

Abang Johari is expected to table Budget 2018 in the forthcoming State Legislative Assembly sitting from Nov 8 to 17.

In the national Budget 2018 tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak last Friday, more than 80 per cent of the total funds were set aside for operating expenditure.

To a question, Abang Johari said the meeting with all Sarawakian Barisan National ( BN) MPs in Kuala Lumpur Sunday night was meant to brief them on the national budget.

Accordingtohim,allSarawakian BN MPs would give their support to the national budget which allocated quite a lot of funds for Sarawak.

“Of course we talked about other issues, but I don’t want to announce first,” he said, adding that the meeting was more related to the ongoing parliamentary sitting.

When a reporter asked whether the meeting deliberated on candidacy issue, Abang Johari said it had nothing to do with election matters.

He said “I’m happy, of course I want more but...” when asked later about whether he was satisfied with the national budget.

He quickly added that it had never happened before that Putrajaya allocated RM1 billion for schools “in one go”.

“I presented my case and Sabah also got it,” he quipped.

In his budget speech last Friday, Najib announced that Sarawak and Sabah would be getting RM1 billion each to upgrade their respective schools.