Development in Sabah, Sarawak will not be neglected - PM

The Prime Minister said a compromise was reached to protect the interests of Sabah and Sarawak together with those of the Federation of Malaya in the formation of Malaysia.

He said autonomy rights and the position of the two states were stated in Article 20 of the Cobbold Commission.

"As prime minister, I am always making efforts to ensure there is equitable development for all states in Malaysia," he said in his latest posting in his blog www.1Malaysia.com.my in conjunction with Malaysia Day tomorrow.

Najib said continuous efforts to develop the economies of Sabah and Sarawak were a priority of the federal government.

In fact, he said, the living standard of the people in the two states had seen a marked change since 50 years ago, in tandem with global development.

Najib said since 2010, the government allocated RM2 billion to implement 70 basic rural infrastructure projects in Sabah dan Sarawak.

He said, in 2012, a total of RM62.3 million from the RM2 billion was allocated to the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score) for several projects, including access and internal roads in the Tanjung Manis Halal Hub, water supply in Samalaju and feasibility studies for a Science Park in Mukah.

He added, a total of RM207 million was also allocated for the Sabah Development Corridor, to implement several infrastructure and agricultural projects.