National Council of Professors fellow Jeniri Amir said heavy funding was needed for the state in the 2022 Budget.

He acknowledged that billions of ringgit had been promised to Sarawak under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) but pointed out the plan would stretch to 2025. There was no telling what would happen in the intervening years, he added.

“There must be big allocations in the 2022 Budget,” he told FMT.

He said the funds were needed for the repair of dilapidated schools and for rural development and poverty eradication.

He urged Putrajaya to give serious attention to the development of rural infrastructure, saying it must look into water and power supply as well internet access.

“We have been talking about this for years, but have failed to achieve the targets or have kept changing the targets,” he said.

“The federal government must show total commitment in addressing these problems. It must avoid leakages and wastage, and ensure the projects are implemented efficiently and on schedule.

“Otherwise, it will be the same old story.”

Under the 12MP, RM4.47 billion has been allocated for Sarawak. Additionally, the government has set aside for the state RM4.09 billion for the upgrade of connectivity under a digital network plan called Jendela.

Madeline Berma, an honorary professor at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), said she would like to see Putrajaya allocating a special budget to help students whose education had been badly affected by Covid-19.

She said this was especially true for students in rural Sarawak and Sabah.

“Many of these students were cut off from quality education because the schools were closed and they had no access to online classes,” she told FMT.

She referred to these students as the “lost generation” and said there ought to be a special allocation to help them catch up.