FORMER Kapayan Assemblyman Dr Edwin Bosi has projected that Sabah is due to receive a total allocation of RM17.7 billion for Budget 2027, driven by standard federal allocations combined with the state’s long-sought revenue entitlementThe projected RM17.7 billion budget figure is split into two primary components comprising RM7b annual federal allocation based on recent funding trends and RM10.7b Sabah’s 40 percent revenue entitlement under constitutional provisions.
Dr Bosi broke down the math behind the RM10.7 billion entitlement using standard national revenue projections.
He said estimated national revenue is projected at approximately RM350 billion annually. He assumes an equal revenue contribution across all 13 states.
Based on this assumption, Sabah’s theoretical share comes out to roughly RM26.9 billion (calculated by dividing the RM350 billion total by the 13 states).
Taking forty percent of that estimated annual contribution results in Sabah’s entitlement of approximately is RM10.7 billion.
“Over a 51-year history from 1974 to 2025, I estimates the cumulative 40 percent revenue due to Sabah reaches approximately RM545.7b noting that national energy corporation Petronas has held primary control over oil and gas resources since 1974 without transparent public financial disclosures regarding state-derived revenues,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Bosi was commenting Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim tabled Budget 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat on Friday.
Should this funding be realized, he outlined nine key development and infrastructure priorities for Sabah which include: Infrastructure: Completing the Pan Borneo Highway, upgrading all general roads and expanding and widening railway coverage. Utilities and environment: Upgrading treated water supply (including gravity-fed pipes), installing rural mini-hydroelectricity and solar panels and implementing large-scale flood mitigation projects (deepening major rivers, installing pumps and flood gates). Human capital & economy: Increasing vocational training schools for school leavers, providing financial aid for high-achieving students pursuing higher education and offering financial, technical and marketing support for local farming communities.Commenting on broader fiscal patterns, Dr Bosi warned that Malaysia is likely to register another deficit budget for 2027, citing stagnant annual revenues hovering around RM300 billion since 2024.
He noted that traditional income drivers face unpredictability such as Middle Eastern conflicts affecting oil and gas supplies, static palm oil plantation growth, maritime resource encroachment and limited export diversification.
“These leaves the country heavily reliant on the tourism and microchip sectors. We may be losing ground to other nations,” he said adding that by looking at the data, Malaysia will register another deficit budget for 2027.
Historical budget allocations show Sabah receiving RM6.6 billion (2024), RM6.7 billion (2025) and RM6.9 billion (2026) compared to Sarawak’s RM5.8 billion, RM5.9 billion and RM6.0 billion over the same periods.
Despite these figures, Dr Bosi emphasized that Sabah receives less than two per cent of the national annual budget overall.
