GE15: Budget 2023 for Sarawak development has little impact on GPS winning chances

12 Oct 2022 06:54pm

Nanta said instead of looking at the amount of allocation, people should look at what influences the allocation. - Bernama Photo

KAPIT - Attempts by certain parties to play up the issues of development allocation given to Sarawak under the 2023 Budget would not have much impact on Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) chances to win seats in the coming 15th General Election (GE15), its secretary-general Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said.

He said these groups of people have already been going around playing up the issues of development allocation amounting to RM5.4 billion for Sarawak, and accusing it of being unfair and insufficient for the state whose size is as large as the whole of Peninsular Malaysia.

Nanta said instead of looking at the amount of allocation, people should look at what influences the allocation.

"This is the time when the government can't afford us more. Maybe the government is under constraint where the (available) fund is tight and there are other needs as well. We cannot please everybody.

"Those who have political agenda would say it (allocation) is not enough but to me, we should look at it from every aspect. Of course, as a Sarawakian, I want to have more, I wish I have more,” he told reporters after chairing the Upper Rajang Development Agency (URDA) Board's meeting here today.

Nevertheless, Nanta said GPS, which had won big in the 12th State Election last December, still had the momentum to strike yet another big victory in this coming parliamentary election.

"We are confident that we will win handsomely. We are not in a mess in terms of bickering in the state,” said Nanta, who is the incumbent for Kapit parliamentary seat and Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) secretary general.

Apart from PBB, other GPS member parties are the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).

Combined, they secured 19 out of the 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak in GE14. - BERNAMA