By Yasmin Ramlan
SHAH ALAM, Nov 24 — The ratio of the development expenditure to operating expenditure under the 2024 Selangor Budget is already the highest among states in Peninsular Malaysia, Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said today, following Opposition calls to increase spending for public projects.
He noted that of the RM2.53 billion total allocation for next year, RM1.2 billion (47.4 per cent) has been earmarked for development expenditure, while the remaining RM1.33 billion (52.6 per cent) is for operating expenses.
“I can say that in the Peninsula, Selangor’s development expenditure trend is the highest compared to other states.
“Even Johor, one of our biggest economic competitors, allocated just 36 per cent of its budget for development,” Amirudin said at the State Legislative Assembly session today.
He also drew comparisons to Penang and Terengganu, both of which tabled budgets with allocations for development at a much lower percentage than operating expenditure.
Penang’s RM374.72 million development allocation makes up 35.8 per cent of its overall RM1.047 billion budget, while Terengganu’s RM600 million development expenditure accounts for 26.6 per cent of the total RM2.257 billion budget.
Amirudin also said it would also be unfair for the Opposition to compare Selangor to Sarawak, which recently tabled a massive RM12.36 billion budget, of which RM7.8 billion (63.1 per cent) is for development purposes.
He said Sarawak’s ability to allocate a huge portion of its budget for development is due to several factors, including a much higher reserves, royalty payments, and other infrastructure allocations, with half of these responsibilities falling under the purview of the Federal government.
Previously, during the tabling of the 2024 Selangor Budget on November 10, Amirudin said the RM1.33 billion operating expenditure includes allocation for emoluments, services and supplies, asset procurements, grants and fixed payment obligations, and miscellaneous expenses.
Meanwhile, the RM1.2 billion development expenditure is allotted for the social sector, infrastructure, economic development, as well as health, education, and rural development.
