Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) said when an allocation is set aside for Sabah but it is managed by the federal government, then the state won’t develop or prosper, like Penang and Selangor.

“This despite the fact that Sabah has the potential to be developed if there is desire to do so,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today when debating the recently tabled federal budget.

Bung, who is also Sabah deputy chief minister, said the state was among the poorest in the country, saying that it has been the case since he was 10 years old.

He then asked the government to set aside 10% of the total budget for Sabah alone.

Last month, Putrajaya tabled an allocation of RM332.1 billion. Sabah was allocated RM5.2 billion, a sum that has been criticised by politicians from the state.

“Last time it was around RM5 billion, next year it will be the same. Worse, the implementation (of initiatives) is slow. And this worries Sabahans.”

Bung made a similar call last month over the funds allocated to Sabah under the 12th Malaysia Plan, saying that the state also needed some autonomy especially in view of the rapid development that is expected in Kalimantan, with the Indonesian government moving its administrative capital to Borneo.