Sabah Pakatan Rakyat launched its shadow budget yesterday, providing low-income Sabahans a glimpse of how their livelihood can change if Pakatan were to implement its policy of paying the state 20 percent in oil royalty.

NONE According to Sabah PKR secretary Dr Roland Chia ( right ), Putrajaya currently pays the state RM800 million annually in oil royalty, and a 15 percent increase will bring the amount to RM3.2 billion.

“Last year, the state budget was RM4 billion. With the additional oil royalty, we are looking at RM7.2 billion. These additional funds would be channelled back to the people,” said Chia when contacted.

Chia explained that the shadow budget’s goal was to showcase Pakatan’s proposals that aim to increase disposable income and improve the socio-economic status of Sabahans.

NONE Among others, the shadow budget outlined a free tap water scheme for the first 20 cubic metres, RM200 gratitude scheme for senior citizens, removal of the cabotage policy, setting up Sabah TV to give provide airtime for Sabah’s cultural products, funds for increased environmental protection and improving Sabah’s infrastructure.

“The theme is merakyatkan ekonomi, kebangkitan Sabah. Sabah is a land full of resources. It has oil, gas and fertile land. But yet, but yet it is the poorest state because of mismanagement,” said Chia, in explaining the overall direction of the shadow budget.

‘Caring government’s budget’

State DAP chief Jimmy Wong said that the shadow budget showed how Pakatan can establish a “caring government” and it will help Sabahans evaluate the budget that will be tabled by Chief Minister Musa Aman tomorrow.

NONE “We want to show what it really means to have a ‘People-friendly budget’ where we want to show rakyat didahulukan ',” said Wong ( left ), taking a dig at the prime minister’s 1Malaysia: Rakyat didahulukan, pencapaian diutamakan slogan.

For Wong, a first-term state assemblyperson representing Sri Tanjong, the shadow budget adequately recognises the severe infrastructural problems in Sabah.

“We experience, on average, 5,000 minutes of blackout time a year. Even in Sarawak, it is only 200 minutes. Our water is the most expensive in Malaysia, and is also the dirtiest.

“That is why we need to give out 90 cubic metres of free water. A lot of illegals are stealing from the state water supplies. Locals should get it free, the legal way, just like in Selangor,” he said.

Free rice and cooking gas

Sabah PAS commissioner Aminuddin Aling said that the shadow budget had a special mention for Muslims, of whom many are poor.

NONE “Our offer (in the shadow budget) is a sponsorship for five people from each state constituency to perform the haj every year,” said Aminuddin ( right ), adding that a selection mechanism has not been worked out yet.

He said that for PAS, another important item in the shadow budget was the free rice and cooking gas scheme for households under the poverty line.

The shadow budget outlined a provision of 20kg of rice and one tank of cooking gas a month for such households.

The shadow budget was presented to the press at a function in Kota Kinabalu  yesterday.

Two MPs who recently quit BN - Wilfred Bumburing and Lajim Ukin - were invited to the event as well but they were unable to attend because they were attending the Dewan Rakyat sitting.

The duo lead the Angkatan Perubahan Sabah and Pakatan Perubahan Sabah respectively. Both groups are aligned to Pakatan Rakyat.

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and State Reform Party (Star), two other active opposition parties in the state, were not invited to the event.