King’s call for fair development a warning to govt and opposition, says analyst
Published on: Thursday, March 21, 2024
By:
FMT, Nora Mahpar
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim has expressed hope that all 13 states will receive equal attention and allocations from the federal government.
PETALING JAYA: An analyst sees the recent call by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim for equitable development as a warning to both the federal government and opposition-led states to cease their disputes.
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said the king’s decree on Tuesday for equal attention and allocations for all 13 states illustrates the need to address unbalanced development by fostering cooperation despite ideological differences.
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“This serves as a warning for them to prioritise their respective tasks, especially in development and the economy,” he told FMT.
“When the king mentions unbalanced development, he sees that all states, especially the four opposition-led ones, have experienced some stagnation in development,” he added, referring to Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis.
“Therefore, balanced cooperation and the avoidance of conflict are necessary.”
In his decree, the king said that equitable development beyond Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya could reduce population migration to urban centres and improve the management of traffic congestion.
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Sultan Ibrahim, who succeeded Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah on Jan 31, also said he would start his “real way of governing” soon.
Azmi said state governments should follow Sarawak’s example by being more strategic in leveraging their resources and assertive to garner attention.
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“State governments need to be more focused and wiser in advancing their states, even though they are not politically aligned with the federal government,” he said.
“We see examples like Sarawak which, despite occasional differences with the federal government, effectively leverages its advantages.”
Meanwhile, economist Barjoyai Bardai of Universiti Tun Abdul Razak said the federal government should not focus too much on developed states like Penang, Selangor and Melaka, which could give the appearance of bias against opposition-led states.
“Regardless of whether a state is ruled by the opposition, allocations should be impartial because all states are equal members of Malaysia. They have the same rights as other states,” he said.
Barjoyai also said that the allocation of funds should be based on population size and medium- to long-term development projects, in the interest of fairness.
“In essence, the king’s message highlights the need to provide fair allocations for all states,” he said.
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