The Federal Government will continue to channel larger allocations to the six poorest states under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).
However, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli stressed that funds alone are not enough if the state governments do not play their due role.
Since 2021, these six states have received the highest allocations, but why is the development gap still widening?
Rafizi stressed that efforts to bridge this gap require more than just federal government allocations.
If large funds alone were sufficient to solve the problem, this gap should have been closed long ago.
He urged state governments to implement investor-friendly policies to ensure more sustainable and effective development.
If large allocations were the key to development, these states should be on par with Selangor and Johor. But the reality?
