Kuala Lumpur:Claims that the Federal Government is neglecting the State Government 4 (SG4) coalition are unfounded, says Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Akmal Nasrullah stated that federal development expenditure in the SG4 states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, and Perlis is 6.8 times higher than that provided by the respective state governments. He emphasized that the Federal Government does not neglect any state in efforts to boost the nation's economic development, absorbing costs for infrastructure and industrial park development to narrow the development gap.

Akmal Nasrullah further explained that development allocations should not be evaluated solely by numbers, as each state's needs and development costs vary. He cited examples of industrial area developments such as Tok Bali in Kelantan and the Kulim Hi-Tech Park in Kedah, which require federal allocations, including for land acquisition. This was in response to Mohd Syahir Che Sulaiman's call for the Ministry of Economy to review the development allocation distribution formula to ensure that the less-developed SG4 states receive adequate attention.

Mohd Syahir also claimed that the development allocations for six states, including SG4, Sabah, and Sarawak, amounted to RM21 billion for the next year, which he argued was only 37 percent of the 50 percent that should have been allocated. He urged the government to maintain at least 50 percent of development allocations for these states in future development plans.

Akmal Nasrullah elaborated that the total cost of planned development projects in Kelantan last year was RM31.21 billion, nearly matching the RM33.2 billion for 280 projects approved in Penang under the Second Rolling Plan 2027 of the 13th Malaysia Plan. He noted that Kelantan had 509 development projects, compared to 280 in Penang, and urged opposition members to be more fair when making statements.