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By Mihar Dias November 2024
Once again, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has hit us with another gem: Sarawak, being so flush with cash, should swoop in to lift up the struggling states like Kedah. (‘That’s federal govt’s role’: Abang Johari rejects Dr Mahathir’s call for Sarawak to aid poorer states (VIDEO))
Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan
Sri Abang Johari didn’t waste any time firing back, calling the idea, in politer terms, a bit ridiculous.
After all, he’s busy developing Sarawak’s own backyard, which still has plenty of underdeveloped areas in need of attention. And guess what?
As he pointed out, high-income status doesn’t mean every Sarawakian family is drowning in cash – far from it. But who could resist, right?
Clearly, that RM11 billion budget has to go somewhere, and why not generously support another state entirely?
Here’s the kicker: Mahathir, from his lofty perch, insists it’s Sarawak’s moral duty to share the wealth as part of this whole federation spirit.
He seems to overlook the fact that, as Abang Johari noted, it’s the federal government’s job to distribute resources among states.
That’s what federations do, Tun. Sarawak is a state, not a bank for “Federation Welfare” cheques.
It’s particularly amusing coming from Tun M, who knows a thing or two about the economics of state budgets.
When he says Sarawak should open its wallet, he seems to be saying that it’s high time Kedahans put in less effort at home because, well, someone else out there did the hard work and became a high-income state.
Why not call back the anak Kedah diaspora? After all, wouldn’t it be nice to see some Kedahan kids, skilled in economics or urban planning, come back and help turn their state into a higher-income region?
Maybe, just maybe, if each state were encouraged to stand on its own two feet – instead of seeking “loans” from their industrious neighbours – we’d see more progress across the board.
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