No detailed talks yet on higher Sarawak allocation, says Abang Jo

PETALING JAYA: Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg says detailed discussions have yet to take place on the proposed increase in the annual special grant the state is expected to receive from Putrajaya.

He said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had briefly raised the matter during their recent meeting in Bintulu, but no detailed negotiations had been held, the Borneo Post reported.

“He said he would look into increasing the allocation, but he did not go into the details.

“I simply kept quiet and thanked him,” he told reporters at the launch of a Western Digital plant at the Samajaya Free Industrial Zone in Kuching.

He also thanked Anwar for stating in Parliament that Sarawak should receive an interim payment similar to Sabah under Article 112D of the Federal Constitution.

Abang Johari suggested that federal government support could also come in other forms, particularly incentives for emerging industries such as renewable energy and hydrogen.

“Perhaps support us through other means, such as tax incentives. We Sarawakians are not greedy.

“That is the spirit of partnership, and that is how Sarawak has always been,” he said.

Anwar, who is also finance minister, told the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday that negotiations between the federal and Sarawak governments to increase the state’s special interim payment were expected to be finalised soon.

He said Sarawak deserved an increase in its special interim payment, similar to Sabah, in line with the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.