Sabah and Sarawak recorded the highest number of development projects under the Fourth Rolling Plan (RP4) of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), says Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) said under the RM90bil allocation for RP4, Sabah and Sarawak registered 1,244 and 1,124 projects respectively, significantly higher than Perlis, which only recorded 172.
“However, their spending performance fell below the national average of 65.83%, with Sabah at 46.70% and Sarawak at 54.43%,” she told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
Dr Zaliha said the Federal Territories received RM23.61bil, the second-highest allocation after the “multiple states” category, which involves projects spanning two or more states, such as highway alignments and interstate water transfer projects.
Despite receiving a substantial allocation, the Federal Territories managed to spend RM16.39bil, achieving a spending performance of 69.40%, surpassing the national average, she added.
“While Sabah and Sarawak lead in the number of projects, the Federal Territories stand out for maintaining a spending performance above the national average,” she said.
Among the states, she said Pahang recorded the highest spending performance at 74.65%, followed closely by Melaka at 74.27%.
“Despite Melaka receiving the smallest allocation of RM927mil, its prudent spending practices placed it in second position.
“Terengganu came in third with a spending performance of 72.39%,” Dr Zaliha said.
In contrast, she said Kedah registered the lowest spending performance among the peninsular states, at 53.43%.
She also highlighted efforts to enhance the implementation of development projects in Sabah and Sarawak.
She said from March 1, 2023, the Public Works Department and the Irrigation and Drainage Department in both states were recognised as technical departments authorised to oversee projects valued at RM50mil and below.
This recognition, formalised under Treasury Directive 182, aims to streamline the execution of projects in these regions, she added.
“These measures are part of our commitment to improve the delivery of development projects in Sabah and Sarawak, ensuring that resources are utilised effectively and efficiently,” said Dr Zaliha.
The “multiple states” category accounted for RM30.21bil of the total RP4 allocation, reflecting the government’s focus on large-scale infrastructure projects that benefit multiple regions, she said, adding such projects include highway construction and inter-state water transfer systems that are aimed at enhancing connectivity and resource distribution across the nation.
She said it was important to balance resource allocation with effective project execution to ensure equitable development nationwide.
“We must continue to focus on both the quantity and quality of project implementation to achieve our development goals under 12MP,” she added.
Dr Zaliha said the government remains committed to addressing challenges in spending and implementation to maximise the impact of development projects across Malaysia, particularly in states with high project numbers but lower spending performance.
