By Queville To
KOTA KINABALU: The trickle-down effect of the budget will again bypass the man in the street in Sabah, according to an analysis by Roland Chia Ming Shen, the treasurer for Sabah PKR.
"It does not benefit the common people of Sabah at all, especially the lower income group," he said of the 2011 budget announced by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on Friday.
Echoing the criticism of other opposition figures, he said the budget emphasised mega projects at the expense of poverty-eradication measures.
Chia said he found it difficult to see how the proposed upgrading of roads, schools and hospitals could help Sabahans enjoy the projected increase of per capita income from RM28,000 to RM49,440.
"How many Sabahan companies are directly engaged to carry out this work?"
He also expressed doubt that the construction of a 300-megawatt Combined Cycle Gas Power Plant in Kimanis would benefit the poor of Sabah, noting that even now there were no LPG kiosks in the state despite its being one of the country's biggest gas producers.
LPG kiosks have been available in Peninsular Malaysia for more than 20 years.
"Even in Australia, the federal government gives a subsidy to car owners to install NGV (natural-gas vehicle) gas tanks," he said. "This shows the priority of the government in alleviating the financial burden of the people."
Sectors ignored
He also noted the budget's lack of attention to the plight of rubber tappers despite the proposed development of 2,680 acres of land in Sungai Buloh for the Malaysian Rubber Board.
He said: "Fishermen get a monthly subsidy of RM200, oil palm smallholders get subsidies. Padi farmers have been included in the subsidy list. What about the rubber tappers?
"There is no concerted effort to alleviate the plight of this segment of the population in Sabah."
Chia also commented on the budget proposal for incentives to encourage energy efficiency, noting the lack of direct allocations and subsidies to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as well as house owners wishing to use solar panels.
"This would definitely help in promoting renewable energy sources and at the same time reduce dependence on fossil fuels in generating energy," he said.
"In Australia, once again, the government is actively giving out grants and subsidies for such purposes. Why can't the Malaysian government follow this noble example of helping the common people?"
He also questioned the logic behind the 10 percent tax exemption on mobile phones, noting that most ordinary folk already had cell phones and did not have too much interest in high-end models or the so-called smart phones.
Chia said he was also disappointed that the budget did not address the mismatch between property prices and the income of most citizens.
"Prices of properties have tripled over the last five years, yet the income of most people remains relatively stagnant," he said.
"The 50 percent reduction on stamp duty does not give leverage to house buyers at all. Developers are still increasing their prices."
He summed up his opinion of Budget 2011 thus: "Within the Sabah context, there is nothing."
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