{
  "id": 17536448,
  "title": "Sabah, Sarawak tak terpinggir dalam naik taraf jalan luar bandar, kata Tengku Zafrul",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/sabah-sarawak-tak-terpinggir-dalam-naik-taraf-jalan-luar-bandar-kata",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-01T05:16:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2026/11/01/sabah-sarawak-tak-terpinggir-dalam-naik-taraf-jalan-luar-bandar-kata-tengku-zafrul"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz emphasized that Sabah and Sarawak have never been neglected in the planning of highway projects outside urban areas, in fact, both states continue to receive greater attention with funding increasing nearly three times from 2023 to 2027 compared to the previous five years, according to the former Finance Minister and Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry. Budget allocations for highway projects in Sabah and Sarawak for 2018-2022 amounted to RM3.7 billion, while for 2023-2027, it is expected to rise to RM11 billion, including the current and next year's allocations. The increase reflects the government's commitment to developing rural infrastructure, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak, which each year receives roughly half of the entire national highway budget. Tengku Zafrul added that the real budget for highway development in both states this year is RM1.41 billion, the highest in the past decade. Since 2023, RM4.6 billion has been allocated, with about half of the total highway budget for the nation flowing to Sabah and Sarawak each year.",
  "summary": "Penasihat kanan politik perdana menteri itu berkata Sabah dan Sarawak menerima separuh daripada keseluruhan perbelanjaan jalan luar bandar negara.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}