According to a Borneo Post Online report, the state minister of infrastructure development and transportation said Sarawak, as a big state, needed its usual annual allocation over and above the RM16 billion allocated for the project to develop its rural infrastructure.

Masing was commenting on reports quoting Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen, who had asked why the allocation for the Pan Borneo Highway project appeared to be subtracted from the state’s infrastructure development annual budget.

“If Putrajaya is not allocating (annual allocation) that to us, then the state government under my ministry, and I, as the minister entrusted to look after the Rural Transformation Programme, would seek clarification and ask the Federal Government to give us that grant as promised by Prime Minister Najib Razak when he launched the Pan Borneo on April 6,” he was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, in Sibu, local opposition party, Sarawak Workers Party (SWP) has announced that it will apply to join Barisan Nasional (BN) soon.

Party president Munan Laja revealed this after the party made a resolution to join BN at its third annual general meeting yesterday.

Munan said that it was not enough for the 30,000-strong SWP to merely be BN-friendly and that the way forward was to apply to join BN.

He added that former president Larry Sng was still part of the party as an ordinary member.

In April, Sng had resigned as president and pulled out from contesting the Bukit Goram seat in the Sarawak state elections.