Calling it a “rich state with poor people”, Chong said Sarawak remains one of the poorest states, with wealth from oil and gas, timber and commodities failing to trickle down to ordinary Sarawakians.
“The biggest irony is that Sarawak is the highest revenue earner among all the states in Malaysia. But it does not translate into income for the people,” he told FMT in an interview.
Sarawak recorded a revenue of RM14.187 billion in 2024, the highest in the state’s history. In comparison, Selangor recorded RM2.8 billion in state revenue, while Penang brought in RM810.46 million.
Yet according to the statistics department, as of July 2023, Sarawak had the third-highest poverty rate in the country at 10.8%, behind Sabah (19.7%) and Kelantan (13.2%).
Four districts in Sarawak were also listed among the bottom 10 nationwide for median household gross income.
Chong attributed the state’s social inequality to a “fundamental failure in governance” and a lack of equitable wealth distribution.
While acknowledging some state efforts, such as free tertiary education at four state-owned universities, he said such initiatives were limited.
“Free education is only offered at four universities owned by the state government,” he said.
“If you go to other universities, even within the country, it is not provided. With RM14 billion in revenue, the government can afford to provide for all Sarawakians, regardless of which university they attend.”
He also questioned the state’s budgetary priorities, citing a RM100 million allocation in May under the Premier’s Department for air-charter services, as revealed in the First Supplementary Supply Bill for 2025.
Deputy premier Amar Douglas Uggah Embas later explained that the allocation was needed to cover the rising cost of chartered air services due to an increase in official activities.
Another example of what Chong called wasteful spending was the construction of a flagpole near the state legislative assembly building in Petra Jaya, which reportedly cost RM30 million.
“With such indiscreet spending and wrong priorities, the state needs a stronger opposition to provide a check and oversight on the state,” he added.
The Padungan state assemblyman added that the state’s social services also lagged behind, noting that federal welfare allocations for Sarawak outstrip state contributions despite the latter’s wealth.
As of May 2025, some 55,457 Sarawakians received RM123.78 million in aid under the eBantuanJKM system. Of this sum, RM108.19 million—paid out to 45,509 recipients—came from the federal government, while the state government contributed a mere RM15.6 million to 9,948 people.
He called for more direct cash assistance, claiming that over 700 families live in hardcore poverty, earning below RM1,200 a month—well below the national poverty line of RM2,600.