KOTA KINABALU: The prime minister said Sabah and Sarawak should capitalise on their vast land and develop modern agricultural methods to enrich people in rural areas.
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the two East Malaysia states were richer than other states in the peninsular, with land being a major resource.
"We want to stress something that Sabah and Sarawak have. They has a lot of land, so we want to renew our policy on modern agriculture, which can ensure people in rural areas can also become rich," he said.
Dr Mahathir, who is Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) chairman, was speaking to reporters at the party’s closed-door meeting here today.
Asked why he had not announced any 'goodies' for Sabah and Sarawak during his speech at the Malaysia Day celebration yesterday, he said: "The 'goodies' come together with all the other (states) because we want to ensure there is no big disparity between them.
"I didn't say it specifically, but Sabah and Sarawak have huge land," he reiterated, stressing that land needs to be developed with new technologies.
Dr Mahathir also said the country faced financial constraints due to its debt, stressing the Pakatan Harapan government needs to spend money wisely and determine its priorities.
"We will give allocations for major priorities. The rest, we will reduce," he added.
When pressed if Sabah deserves more funds, Dr Mahathir said: "Sabah is not the poorest (state). Perlis and Kedah (are the) poorest...Sabah is going to become the richest state in the whole country once the deep-water oil yields its product."
Earlier, Dr Mahathir attended a closed-door meeting with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and state cabinet members.